Blessy
Born
Blessy Ipe Thomas

(1963-09-03) 3 September 1963
Thiruvalla, Kerala, India
Alma materMar Thoma College, Tiruvalla
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
Years active1986–present
Awards

Blessy Ipe Thomas is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema.[1] He has won one National Film Award and six Kerala State Film Awards for his feature films Kaazhcha (2004), Thanmathra (2005), and Pranayam (2011). His documentary film 100 Years of Chrysostom (2018) received the Guinness World Record for the longest documentary in the world, with a runtime of 48 hours and 10 minutes. His upcoming film is The Goat Life (2024).

Early life and family

Blessy was born on 3 September 1963 in Tiruvalla, a small town in Pathanamthitta district. He was the youngest of six children born to Benny Thomas and Ammini Thomas. He lost his parents at a very young age. He studied at Mar Thoma School, SCS High School and Mar Thoma College in Tiruvalla.[2][3][4]

Blessy is married to Mini and has two children.[2]

Career

Blessy learned his trade as an assistant director with filmmakers such as Padmarajan, Lohithadas and Jayaraj. He scripted and directed his debut movie Kaazhcha in 2004. Kaazcha portrayed the story of an orphaned boy, a victim of Gujarat earthquake and how he changes the life of a small-town film operator (played by Mammootty) and his family. The film won three Kerala State Film Awards including Best Debut Director, Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value, and Best Actor (Mammootty).[5]

His second film was Thanmathra (2005), which depicted the story of a middle-class government employee (played by Mohanlal) and his family, and portrayed the effects of Alzheimer's disease on his life and his family. The film won Blessy National Award for the Best Feature Film in Malayalam and five Kerala State Film Awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor (Mohanlal).[6]

Blessy's next venture had Mammootty in Palunku (2006), followed by Calcutta News (2008), starring Dileep and Meera Jasmine, went on to be marginal hits. Bhramaram (2009), which had Mohanlal once again in the lead role was another successful film. It was a story of revenge against those that falsely accused a man of murder and ruined his life. His 2011 film Pranayam includes Mohanlal, Anupam Kher, and Jaya Prada. His 2013 film Kalimannu starring Swetha Menon and Biju Menon in leading roles dwelled upon the theme of childbirth and the maternal and paternal connect towards a child. Menon's labor was shot live in the film.[7]

He directed a biopic documentary film titled 100 Years of Chrysostom (2018) based on the life of Christian prelate Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma.[8] Beginning in 2015, it took two years to complete filming. A public screening was held for five consecutive days. With a runtime of 48 hours and 10 minutes, the film received the Guinness World Record for the longest documentary in the world.[9][10] The film is narrated by Mohanlal.[11] His upcoming film Aadujeevitham is a survival drama based on the novel of the same name by Benyamin. It stars Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role and has music composed by A. R. Rahman. The film's production lasted over five years, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

Filmography

Year Title Credited as Notes
2004 Kaazhcha Writer, director
2005 Thanmathra Writer, director
2006 Palunku Writer, director
2008 Calcutta News Writer, director
2009 Bhramaram Writer, director
2010 Easan Actor
2010 Best Actor Actor
2011 Pranayam Writer, director
2013 Kalimannu Writer, director
2018 100 Years of Chrysostom Writer, director 48-hour documentary film
2023 Aadujeevitham Writer, director

Awards

National Film Awards
Kerala State Film Awards
Filmfare Awards South
Asianet Film Awards
Other awards
  • 2006: Kalavedi International Prathibha Award Best Film Maker – Thanmathra
  • 2005: Kalavedi International Prathibha Award Best Film Maker – Kaazhcha
  • 2005: 15th Ramu Kariat Award - Kaazhcha

References

  1. ↑ സിനിമയിലെ രാഷ്ട്രീയത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് ബ്ലെസി [Blessy on the politics of cinema]. mathrubhumi.com (in Malayalam). 6 September 2009. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
  2. 1 2 "ബ്ലെസ്സി 1963-" (in Malayalam). Malayalasangeetham.info. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  3. ↑ Priyadershini S. (29 July 2011). "Small town guy in TINSELTOWN". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "The day Noushad lost his 'sight' was born". News18Plus. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  5. ↑ "Malayalam News, Kerala News, Latest Malayalam News, Latest Kerala News, Breaking News, Online News, Malayalam Online News, Kerala Politics, Business News, Movie News, Malayalam Movie News, News Headlines, Malayala Manorama Newspaper, Breaking Malayalam News". ManoramaOnline. 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Malayalam News, Kerala News, Latest Malayalam News, Latest Kerala News, Breaking News, Online News, Malayalam Online News, Kerala Politics, Business News, Movie News, Malayalam Movie News, News Headlines, Malayala Manorama Newspaper, Breaking Malayalam News". ManoramaOnline. 15 March 2014. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  7. ↑ Ramachandran, Mythily (4 October 2012). "Southern Spice: Blessy lets his films do the talking". Gulf News. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  8. ↑ "Blessy's biopic on Mar Chrysostom". The Times of India.
  9. ↑ "Longest documentary film". Guinness World Records. 11 March 2019. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  10. ↑ Sebastian, Shevlin (11 May 2019). "Guinness Award for Blessy's documentary film on Mar Chrysostom". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  11. ↑ Prasad, Meera (5 January 2020). "Blessy opens up about record docu-film '100 Years of Chrysostom'". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  12. ↑ "അഞ്ച് വർഷം മുമ്പ് ആടുജീവിതം ആരംഭിച്ച ദിവസം; ഓർമ്മകൾ പങ്കുവെച്ച് ബെന്യാമിൻ, വീഡിയോ" (in Malayalam). Reporter TV. 2 March 2023. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "The 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011(South)". The Times of India. 8 July 2012. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
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