After a long break, Meera Jasmine seems to be steadily making her presence felt in the industry. In the second innings, the national award winning actress is donning more women-centric roles. After Lissammayude Veedu, in which she was seen as a serial rape victim, the actress will be seen as a prime time telly anchor who has visions which the others consider as illusions. The film, Ms Lekha Tharoor Kaanunnathu, directed by Shajiyem will hit the screens next month.
“The film is a scary fantasy,” says the director who explains that by scary he doesn’t mean that the film is a spine chiller. “Ms Lekha Tharoor Kaanunnathu is neither a family drama, nor a horror flick. It is about Lekha, a dynamic media person, who unexpectedly starts envisaging happenings that cannot be accepted according to the general perception. She is considered psychic, and is send for medical counselling. This film is about the fantasies of Lekha,” explains the director.
This is the second film of Shajiyem, who has been a constant presence in small screen from the advent of television in Kerala. He holds the credit of directing Deva Manohari, the second tele-serial in Malayalam, an adaptation of the story of writer Ashita. Shajiyem’s American Dreams won the 2004 Kerala State Award for Best Tele-Serial. The director who took his first film, Parasparam starring Zarina Wahab and Nedumudi Venu 25 years back says, his busy television schedules barred him from taking more movies. “But I have always felt that films are more creative.”
The film takes place in Kochi. The director says, “The character requires fine acting. Meera has done a stellar performance, as the title character.” He says that the actress has been in his mind when he developed the character. “We planned the story, keeping Meera in mind. When she heard the story around two years back, she readily agreed to do the role and we were waiting for her dates.”
Cinema Company fame Bhadri acts as Lekha’s doctor in the film. Other actors are Shankar, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Nandu and Geetha Vijayan. Ramesh Narayan is the music director. While the lyrics have been penned by Refeeq Ahmad and Neha Khayal, Ramya Nambeeshan and Sadhana have given voice to them. The shooting of the film was at Kochi, Pollachi and Palakkad. K K Suresh Chandran has produced the film under the banner of Saranam Pictures.