After the box office triumph of ‘Memories’, Jeethu Joseph is busy working on his next, and this time the director has roped in none other than Mohanlal to play the lead. Jeethu, who had earlier explored the complexity of mother-daughter relationship in ‘Mummy and Me’ and tried his hands at humour for ‘My Boss’, says his upcoming project will be a family drama. “I have baptized my next baby as ‘Drishyam’. It’s a complete family drama which will start rolling by the end of this month in Thodupuzha,” says the director. The film stars Meena in the female lead as Mohanlal’s wife. The duo will be sharing the screen after a gap of six years, the last one being ‘Chandrolsavam’ released in 2007.
Just like all his previous projects, the director himself has penned the script for ‘Drishyam’ too. “I started working on the subject some two year back. But I wanted to stick to the planned order and hence postponed the project till I finished ‘Memories’, says the director who further adds that it was his dream to work with Mohanlal. “It was always my dream to do a film with the amazing actor. I don’t start scripting a film with the cast in my mind. When the script for ‘My Boss’ was completed, I just felt Dileep could do justice to the character. The same thing happened for ‘Memories’ too. But every director and script-writer would want to do at least one film with Lal. When I narrated the story, he was much impressed and readily agreed to do the film. I still cannot believe that I will soon be calling the shots for him. I consider myself lucky for this,” he adds.
Explaining more about the flick, he says, “the movie revolves around a close-knit family which leads a very simple life in a remote village. George [Mohanlal] and Rani [Meena] hail from a very humble background and don’t have even a good schooling to boast. But they manage to send their two kids to an English medium school. Life goes on pretty well for this family until something unusual creeps up. The struggles that the duo puts on to solve the issue forms the core of the plot.”
Jeethu Joseph films stand out for their well-crafted climaxes and needless to say, ‘Drishyam’ too will have something unexpected at the end. “I won’t boast it to be something extraordinary but one thing I can assure, the area where the climax is planned will be absolutely a new experience for the audience,” he says. The director adds that his ambition is not a box office hit. “When I start a project I pray for just two things. First nobody should feel that the two-hour show was a waste of time. Secondly the producer should not complain that his investment had been in vain. The rest all is bonus.”
‘Drishyam’ will feature two songs to be composed by Anil Johnson and Vinu Thomas. The movie is expected to hit theatres this December.