Agadam

Cast

Production

The entire film was shot on 7 December 2012 shot at a three-storey bungalow near Porur in Chennai. The film running for 2 hours, 3 minutes and 30 seconds was shot on a single camera without any cuts and therefore awarded the Guinness World Record for being the longest uncut film, beating the record held by Russian Ark directed by Alexander Sokurov, which used a single 96-minute Steadicam sequence shot.

A director registered with the union (L. Suresh of Eththan fame), a notary public and a government teacher were present during the shoot, while a team followed Isaak and the cinematographer E.J. Nauzad Khan and filmed the entire making of the film in order to send the video to the Guinness Record jury. The camera used was a Sony NEX-FS100.

Director Issack gave up his software job to "make a film that is different, yet entertaining" and said that he wanted his first film to make an impact. He spent over a year on the script and stated that he was inspired by Russian Ark. Ten people were involved in the making of the film, the director, the cameraman, and 8 actors, who were all newcomers. The team rehearsed for over a month before the filming and the entire sequence was said to be rehearsed over 40 times. Agadam was also the first film to be shot in the night effect with a hand-held camera. The film, which had no songs, was awarded a U/A certificate by the Censor Board.

Reception

Dinamalar appreciated the film stating that 'the film has a good medical message and stand out in its unique attempt of single shot filming'. They also lauded the entire cast as well as the technician's, concluding that the slow pace of some part has not affected the good result. Kungumam magazine appreciated the cameraman as well as director for making a single shot film completely in a house. Maalai Malar daily mentioned that the cinematography as well as direction has to be appreciated, but music lacked the thrill. Overall the effort can be appreciated for making a single shot film. In contrast, M. Suganth of The Times of India said that Agadam is a cautionary tale that proves that while digital has made it possible for anyone to make a film, not everyone should make one."