Like every other youngster, Neil John Samuel too dreams to earn extra bucks easily to lead a swanky life. A journey changes it all. Money Ratnam, director Santhosh Nair’s debut outing, narrates a 24-hour trip and the subsequent incidents that change the whole outlook of the young man. Fahad Fazil plays Neil and Niveda Thomas, his love interest. Pepped with humour, suspense, love and action, the entertainer that reaches the theatres this Friday is all about money, how it can change people and the grey side of making quick cash.
Since the two-hour movie narrates an expedition that spans within a single day, can we expect a fast-paced outing shot at unknown, picturesque locales? “No, Money Ratnam is not an out-and-out road movie. It is a ‘pucca’ entertainer,” says Santhosh.
And Neil, a sales executive at a car dealership, is not yet another suave and urban avatar of Fahad, he adds. “The character is a far cry from what the actor has done till now. For instance, Neil is funny, and he has two fight sequences unlike the other Fahad movies,” says Santhosh. The film is more of a light-veined entertainer, as the title indicates, he says. A bag of ‘ratnam’ (diamond) that Neil gets unexpectedly is the turning point of the movie.
It all begins when the youngster who waits for his bus at Vyttila Mobility Hub after a launch party on December 30 meets some unexpected incidents. Soon, he embarks on a trip that takes him to some remote place in Tamil Nadu with a bag full of money. “The journey happens so hastily that he is able to unzip the bag only when he reaches Tamil Nadu. Neil returns to Kochi the very next day, but as a changed person,” the director explains.
Niveda plays Pia Mamman who is a social worker who struggles to raise funds for a charity event to be held the next day.
There are other characters too, who appears as the journey continues. Isaac Anakkadan (Renji Panicker) who is a businessman, Makudi Das played by Joju George, who is a goon, plays other significant roles.
There is a slew of other characters too, including Sidharth, Sunil Sukhada, Kochu Preman, Naveen Lima Babu and Reena Basheer.
Naveen and Lima is another couple who appears in the Tamil Nadu sequence.
The film has been shot at many locales including Kochi, Udumalpettu, Pollachi and Sholayar.
Prasanth Pillai is the music director of the movie that has two songs penned by Rafeeq Ahamed and Dinanath Puthenchery. The songs are sung by Joe Panicker and Alap Raju. ‘Paisa Paisa..’, a peppy song is already popular among youngsters.
Neil D’ Cunha is the cinematographer of the movie, which is the 100th movie of The Century Films banner.