VK Prakash is one filmmaker who is known for his audacity to experiment with themes. The adman-turned-director whose last two outings were the socially-relevant Thank You and out-of-the-box Natholi Oru Cheriya Meenalla, is back with Mazhaneerthullikal, centred on the eventful journey and vengeance of a woman. The film starring Meera Jasmine in a prominent role, will hit theatres soon. VKP, who is busy with the post-production works of the film, says, Mazhaneerthullikal is a sensuous tale of revenge which highlights the life of Aparna.” Inspired from the novel Shraadha Shesham penned by Kozhikode District Collector K V Mohankumar, the film is set in 1993.
“That was a period post the Kuwait war, and the-then Kerala society also had its repercussions. The protagonist of the film, Aparna, leaves her home owing to domestic issues,” says VKP.
The director says that his film, which is essentially a woman-centric venture, is realistic in its approach. “There are voices from all corners that issues related to women should be brought to the forefront, but no one seems to have the pluck to come forward with such themes. When I read this novel, I felt an emotional connect, and decided to do a movie on the story,” he says.
Elaborating on the storyline, the director says, “Aparna who was a journalist with a newspaper quits her profession owing to ideological conflicts. The estranged woman who leaves her home undergoes many experiences, and is even drawn to spirituality at a point. The crux of the film is when she returns to her home when a person close to her is murdered. Her mission thereafter is to hunt down the killer and so, she probes into the issue.”
The title of the film, literally meaning raindrops, brings back to memory a melodious song from VKP’s earlier movie, Beautiful, and is a major metaphor, says the director.
“We were determined to shoot the film during the monsoon to capture the real beauty of the season, and thankfully it drizzled whenever we needed,” says VKP. Apart from rain, another major metaphor of the film is an old ancestral house in Palakkad. Shooting was carried out in the Kollengode and Chittoor areas of Palakkad.
Narein, Ajmal Ameer, Mythili, Saiju Kurup, Mukundan, E A Rajendran, Prakash Bare, P Balachandran, Nidhi Ganguly, Swapna Menon and Emy Cheriyaan play other significant characters in the movie. Mohankumar, who has penned the script of the film, has also written the lyrics. Ouseppachan, the music composer of the film, has sung one song, while Bini Krishnakumar has sung the other song.
As the film will hit the screens soon, VKP is already immersed in his next project starring Mammooty. “The shooting of the film, a family thriller produced by Aisha Films, will begin in Bangalore next month,” reveals the director.
Meanwhile the scripting of VKP’s other project Akupu Complex by two civil servants K Ambady and N Prasanth is over. “We will start the shooting once the Mammootty project is over,” says the director.
Quiz the director about how he manages to juggle between so many films back-to-back, pat comes the reply, “That is a total misconception that I must clear. While the discussion of Mazhaneerthullikal was on for the last three years, Natholi...’has been in my mind for the past 11 years. The pre-production work of every film begins much earlier to its announcement,” he signs off.