Vineeth Sreenivasan, one of the promising young directors of recent times, is known for crafting simple and aesthetically appealing stories that revolve around friendship and romance. However, unlike his previous flicks, the actor-director is treading the untrodden path this time through ‘Thira’ which promises to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller.
Besides giving you an adrenalin-rush, the movie also throws light on a present-day socially relevant issue. “Last year while Vineeth, Dhyan and I were having food at a restaurant, Vineeth expressed his wish to helm a thriller film with three of us in the team. So after a couple of discussions, we came up with the idea of ‘Thira’ in which the lead characters are inspired from many real life heroes, one being that of a social activist from Cambodia,” says Rakesh Mantodi, who has penned the story and screenplay of the movie.
The movie which has been in talks in M-Town for a number of reasons, also marks the return of versatile yesteryear actor Shobana, after a hiatus. Vineeth’s brother Dhyan Sreenivasan will also make his debut as the male lead in the film.
‘Thira’, the first thriller outing by Vineeth revolves around Shobana who essays the role of Rohini Pranab, a cardio-surgeon who is not just a doctor who saves many lives but also an activist in her own terms. “Rohini is bold and classy and is always in the forefront to do something for the society. And because of her unflinching social commitments, she lands in various crisis,” explains Rakesh about the profound Rohini. “There is no hero-heroine distinction. We have one hero and that is Rohini- the lead protagonist,” says Rakesh who is Vineeth’s cousin brother.
The film which is shot extensively outside Kerala, has most of the story happening in Karnataka and Goa. Rohini is set on a trail to figure out answers for many questions that plague her. The more she delves into them, more questions begin to pop up. And enroute this journey Naveen portrayed by Dhyan tags along with her.
Unlike Vineeth’s previous outings like ‘Malarvady Arts Club’ which celebrated friendship and Thattathin Marayathu, the romantic drama which became a fad among youth last year, ‘Thira’ is an entirely new take on thriller genre, say the makers.
‘Thira’ also intrigues one as it is the first Malayalam movie to have a trilogy series. Ask Rakesh whether the characters will be the same in rest of the series, he says: “Though nothing regarding the title and scripting has been finalised, the flavour of thriller will be in the same line. In all the three movies, Rohini and some characters accompanying her will be common.”
“Each movie is an independent one in its own terms but there will be a few questions left unanswered, the key to whose answers lie in subsequent series,” he adds.
The film which has five songs composed by Shaan Rahman is intricately woven along with the movie. The title track is sung by Vineeth himself. The film produced by Manoj Menon under the banner ReelsMagic and distributed by LJ Films will hit screens today.