Balu and Isha are on the brink of a breakup. A few days into the wedlock and they could feel the euphoria of romance slowly withering. Trapped into a dysfunctional alliance they decide to part ways, and ‘Haram’ is the couple’s love-life in retrospect. “The film is a realistic take on love and marriage. Haram means a kind of ecstasy, an extreme happiness that’s short-lived,” says director Vinod Sukumaran.
Set against the bristling backdrop of Bengaluru, the film has Fahad Fazil and Radhika Apte playing the urban couple. “The film follows Balu and Isha, two BPO employees, as they fall for each other and tie the knot. But after the initial elation they can’t help certain unease and suffocation creeping into their relationship. The film in a sense tries to detect what went wrong in their lives,” Vinod explains the basic premise.
Vinod says the film is based on a scary urban reality – the ever-rising divorce rates in India. “Balu is an accent trainer with a streak of rebellion and Isha an independent, city-bred girl. When you are in love you are totally unaware of the everyday realities one has to face in a marriage. So when Balu and Isha land there from the hunky-dory courting days they find something amiss,” he says.
Though the film has action, drama and suspense knitted into its narrative ‘Haram’ is not an illogical mainstream romance. “The film belongs to the commercial platform and has all the ingredients to make it an entertainer. But it handles the primary subject of man-woman relationship with certain finesse and rationale.,” he explains. The film also has a parallel track following another couple and their relationship – Salam and Amina played by Sreekumar and Rajshri Deshpande. Sagarika, Sreenath, Madhupal and Binoy are also part of the cast.
The film has an interesting narrative pattern as the story unravels through a string of flashbacks. “‘Haram’ in a sense deals with a female-oriented thread. Today’s financially-independent young women may not fit into the traditional structure of marriage. The film also explores their psyche,” he says.
Vinod says the USP of ‘Haram’ is its lead couple and their remarkable performances. “Balu will be one the best characters in Fahad’s career. His role is not filmy and it demanded less drama and more restrain.” The director adds he wanted a girl with metro looks and mannerisms to play Isha. “I was looking for an unfamiliar face to play the city girl Isha and Radhika fitted the bill,” he says.
Another highlight of the film is its music scored by the highly-popular Thaikkudam Bridge. “The film features a couple of beautiful tracks in different genres and the band appears in one of the songs,” he says. The film, produced by P Sukumar and Saji Samuel, under the banner of Odd Impressions and Big Leaf, will hit the screens next week.