Bend it like Balamani

WRITTEN BY JOSHUA NEWTON

Log Line: On the eve of her grand engagement, a gentle, spirited Malayali girl in Adelaide flips the conservative patriarchal tradition on its head — in a romantic flight to freedom, love, and herself.

Three nights before her engagement, Balamani stands at a crossroads between inherited duty and unclaimed freedom. The tyranny of her dad and aunt (appachi) had smothered her mom's life already. In a rented Air BNB house in Adelaide, as close relatives pile up into gossips, grumble, and guffaws, a secret meeting with Balamani's past — Jomy, a lost love, a playful bike rider — threatens the fragile surface of the celebration.

Bend It Like Balamani is a story of tenderness and defiance, about breaking inherited chains with grace — a celebration of choice, joy, and the invisible revolution carried by women across the newer generations.

© Joshua Newton | Story registered under the Screenwriters Association of India | No: SWA 1744267184-1427859323 (10/04/25) Membership No. 61534)

BEND IT LIKE BALAMANI | 120 MINS | MALAYALAM

An indie drama that portrays a slice of life among the Malayali diaspora community of Adelaide.

A disarmingly charming tale of hidden generational wounds, falsity of a performative culture, silent rebellions of the young, and the real meaning of love and choices.

Emcy Joseph

Emcy Joseph is a filmmaker, screenwriter, author, and the founder-director of branding agency Peraka Media.

He was the creative direcotr of Britelite – Vinverth Group in Dubai Media City. Joseph has also made hundreds of advertising films for national and international brands.

Emcy’s directorial debut feature film 'Vikruthi'(2019), is a widely applaused and critically acclaimed movie that won Suraj Venjaramoodu the 2020 Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor.

His forthcoming film ‘Meesha’, starring Shine Tom Chacko and Kathir is slated to be released soon. Emcy Joseph is also an author of 'Lava', a collection of non-fiction essays.

Official Website

DIRECTOR

Joshua Newton

A much acclaimed writer of the path-breaking film Ritu directed by national award winning director Shyamaprasad.

Since 2009, Newton vanished into his own metaphysical enquiries, while film forums on Reddit, Facebook, and Instagram kept hearing the same query from film fans: Where's that dude?

Since his debut movie, he wrote and published a few books including a best-selling spiritual thriller novel. His screenwriting camp with filmmaker Anjali Menon in Bangalore sold out fast and reopened doubling the seats on rising demand. After successfully launching an international magazine for American and European readers, Newton is now back writing movies.

Wikipedia Page

SCREENWRITER

EMCY JOSEPH
JOSHUA NEWTON

"സിനിമകളിൽ ജോഡികൾ ഒന്നാവുന്നതോടെ എല്ലാം ശുഭം എന്ന് ആര് ആരോട് പറയുന്ന നുണയാണ്? മനസിന്റെ സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യമാണ് ജീവിതത്തിലെ സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യം എന്ന് ആരും ആരോടും പറയാത്തതെന്താണ്?"

Screenwriters Association of India
Membership No. 61534