A serial killer, a volley of dead women and a stylish cop - you cannot ask for a better premise to whip up a total nail-biter. But 10 Kalpanakal, starring Meera Jasmne in the lead, is far beyond your regular cat-and-mouse game, says director Don Max. “The film doesn’t follow the usual format of thrillers, rather it tries to break the pattern. There is an emotional drama at the core and the narrative is both linear and non-linear,” he adds. Though not separated by a wide stretch, 10 Kalpanakal has two timelines.
“The two periods are connected by a particular kind of crime, a template which repeats after a gap of years. The criminal is still at large and the similarities are striking. The film is all about establishing the link between these two times and crimes,” Don explains.
Meera Jasmine gets a modern makeover for the film to play the lady-in-command, Shahida Akbar IPS. “I wanted an actress who can handle the two time frames with equal amount of style, grace and composure,” he says. Ritika, a known-face in the ad-world, plays another key role as the village belle Angel.
Anoop Menon appears as a forest ranger while Kaniha steps into the role of his wife. Prashant Narayan, Joju George and Kavitha Nair are also part of the cast. Ask him about the relevance of 10 commandments in the film and the director says, “the film has some Christian background, but more than that, the title is something that links the invisible dots.” Don adds that the film contains a strong message against abusing and ill-treating women.
“It’s basically a female-oriented subject. You may find a strong resemblance with some recent crimes that rocked Kerala. But the script was completed before all those cases hit media headlines,” he says. The film, produced under the banner of Shutter Bugs, will hit the screens next week.