These days however, anyone with even the most rudimentary of cameras can aspire to be the next Spielberg.

While the filmmaking scene in Malaysia is still largely restricted to established studios, many young local talents are creating beautiful films even with limited resources.

Among these talents are filmmaker duo, Haran Kaveri, 35, and Shobaan Pillay, 34, who already have one theatrical release under their belts.

Despite depending solely on independent funds, the duo’s debut Malaysian Tamil film, “Metro Malaai” (An Evening at Metro) received outstanding praise from both critics and audiences in 2019.

Now that the pair have returned to filmmaking post-lockdown, they will be releasing yet another film this June.

Titled “Simple Manusan” (Simple Man), the film follows a 32-year-old local Indian heading into the big city in search of a wife.

Themed around the subject of urban loneliness, this romantic-comedy is one which will likely engage audiences with its humour and deep discussions.

Speaking to FMT, Haran and Shobaan explained their love for movies and what led them to take up directorial duties.

Apparently, even before meeting each other, the two were already dabbling in making their own short films and music videos.

“At one point, I thought of making a feature film,” said Shobaan, “but I did not get the funding.” The cash-strapped Shobaan thus found a kindred spirit in Haran, who was in the same boat.

Haran was ready to give up his filmmaking hobby altogether when he happened to catch a short film by Shobaan. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is too good! Really good!’ So, I looked him up and met with him. And we agreed to make a film together.”

Forming Comrade Pictures in 2017, the two got down to work on their first feature film, “Metro Malaai”, via means of guerrilla filmmaking.

Shobaan explained that guerrilla filmmakers are funded by independent investors and use whatever tools they have at hand to make their films.

Funnily enough, Haran half-expected that the filming of “Metro Malaai” would end in “disaster”, but fate thankfully had other plans for them.

Due to limited resources, the plot of “Metro Malaai” was kept simple, centring around only two characters.

“That was the catch,” said Shobaan. “How do you make a movie about two people interesting? That was when we decided to explore society by talking and listening to young Malaysians.”

With many ideas in mind, the two plotted the storyline, which Shobaan said was also partially inspired by a Russian short story called “White Nights”.

Unsurprisingly, Haran and Shobaan have their creative differences. While Haran prefers contemporary films, Shobaan prefers those that are slower and sentimental.

Still, they do have some common ground. “Both of us do have the same philosophical outlook on life and how we view society. That is the glue that keeps us together.”

So when issues about the film’s direction cropped up, they were discussed and ironed out prior to filming. In fact, most of the delays were largely Mother Nature’s mischief.

“Everything is planned beforehand,” explained Haran. “You just go out, shoot the film and that’s it. That’s how we worked.”

Luckily for the two, “Metro Malaai” was released in cinemas just before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

While its theatrical run was short, positive word-of-mouth led to bigger audiences than expected. And the subsequent lockdowns were a blessing in disguise as the duo used the time to self-reflect. In fact, the isolation from the lockdowns became the foundation of their second film, “Simple Manusan”.

“During the pandemic, we wanted to explore a different type of script and the theme of urban loneliness kept calling to us,” said Shobaan.

Exploring it from a different angle and on a larger scale this time, the film thus explores what modern man truly needs in life.

“Urban loneliness is as serious as urban poverty and it is not given enough attention,” added Shobaan.

With how the theatrical release of “Simple Manusan” will be a milestone for these fledgling filmmakers, they have no plans of putting down their cameras any time soon.

“There’s a certain joy of overseeing it all and turning nothing into something,” said Shobaan, regarding his love for filmmaking.

Haran agreed, saying: “The worst day on the set is better than the best day spent outside. It helps us forget the troubles of the world around us.”

“Simple Manusan” will be released in June. Support indie filmmaking!

Learn more about Comrade Pictures on Instagram.