Post the success of Amen, which adeptly wove the elements of mysticism, spirituality and satire, director Lijo Jose Pellissery is back with Anti-Christ, a movie that will deal with the Biblical concept of Anti-Christ, a realm that is so far untouched in Indian cinema.
The director who is bend on ‘experimental subjects’ says Anti-Christ will be a horror-thriller. “My next venture is of a different genre. It will deal with the Biblical concept of the ‘end of the world’ and the emergence of evil. Though similar subjects were interpreted in world movies, no Indian films have so far handled such a theme,” says Lijo.
The director quickly clarifies that his Anti-Christ has nothing in common with the controversial Danish movie by the same name. “There is no similarity,” says Lijo.
The movie is based on a short story by writer P F Mathews. “Mathews has written the script some years back. We are in the process of redrafting it as it is a complex topic. This will need some time,” says Lijo.
Anti-Christ which will go on floors by early 2014, has a strong cast with Prithviraj, Indrajith and Fahadh playing the central characters. “Each of them have a crucial role in the movie. No issues with regard to screen space,” says Lijo adding that the female lead is yet to be fixed. “The casting is not complete. We are yet to decide on other cast,” says the director.
Anti-Christ will once again bring together the talented bunch behind Amen with Abhinand cranking the camera and Prasanth Pillai scoring some memorable tunes. Renganaath Ravee will handle the sound. “I have spoken to them about the project. The team will be back,” says Lijo.
Quiz him on what prompts him to cast Indrajith in his every venture, Lijo says despite the warm personal equations he shares with Indrajith, he will approach the actor if only there is a role that suits him. “When the story evolves, we get an idea of the characters. Obviously, Indrajith’s name comes in my mind as he is a talented actor. But I will approach any actor only if I am convinced that he fits the bill,” says the director.
So, are Biblical topics his latest fad, considering that Amen too tackled a spiritual subject? “Not really, it is mere coincidence that Anti-Christ became my next venture. Of the scripts that were under my consideration, I liked this one the most,” says Lijo.
For the director who is known for his out-of-the-box narrative style, Lijo says he likes to experiment with each movies. “I intentionally pick subjects that are dissimilar. Post Amen, the safest way was to do a similar movie. But, I wanted my every work to be different and this is evident in the works I have done so far,” says Lijo who has made a few critically-acclaimed movies like Nayakan and City of God.
So has the roaring success of Amen raised the bar of expectations? “Not at all, I know people expect better work from me but I don’t want to give unnecessary hype. It is the audience who determine the success quotient of a movie,” says Lijo.