At the outset it may sound like yet another boy-meets-girl tale, but Pranayakadha by debutant Aadhi Balakrishnan is much beyond what it appears to be. A thriller set against the backdrop of teen romance, it promises to be an intriguing visual experience shot at some of the most scenic locals in Kerala.
“The film is a total entertainer which is woven around an elopement. The lead characters of the film are Reetha, a plus-two student, and Anand, a college-goer,” says Aadhi. They fall in love and decide to get married, but Reetha is only 17. They plan to elope and Anand’s best friend Seban too join them on their adventure. They set off in the hope to tie the knot after a few days when Reetha turns 18. “All of them are from sound families and have been leading a normal life so far. The film unravels what await the three while on the run,” Aadhi explains the plot.
Arun Narayanan and Swarna Thomas play the lead pair while Govindankutty appears as Seban. Aadi says another major character other than the three is nature. “Though the title might suggest it’s a hardcore romance the tagline is ‘Paranju paranju kadu kayari’. The main outdoor locations were at Munnar and Vagamon and nature has a strong presence throughout the film,” says the director who has also penned the script.
Though Pranayakadha is all about a couple-on-the-run, it’s not a complete road movie. “Though the major portion of the film shows the lovers moving from one place to another, it doesn’t stick to the format of a road movie. The film is not about a cliched romance, but rather celebrates friendship and togetherness.” He also adds that the film is not for any particular section of the audience.
“The film is a reality check which also comes with a very strong message,” he adds.
Aadi says the film has every element to keep the audience engaged from humour to suspense and music. “The film features some beautiful songs sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Alphonse,” he says. Alphonse Joseph has scored music to the lines penned by Rafeeq Ahmed and Murugan Kattakkada. Another highlight of the film is a song composed without using any musical instruments. “The song is filmed against the backdrop of an arrack distilling centre. We have used only natural sounds for the song and it’s sung by non-singers. The normal soundscape of the forest is mixed with the vocals. There is no other background score,” he explains.
While Joy Mathew plays a key character as Mathai, Dinesh, Urmila Unni, Balachandran Chullikkad and Lishoy are also part of the cast. Murali Krishnan has cranked the camera while Vijay Shankar is the editor.
The film produced by Firoz under the banner of Shehnaz Movie Creations is expected to hit the screens soon.