Ore Mugham unravels in a campus, but not a sprawling, uber-cool one. Set in the 80s, it rather banks on the yesteryear charm, the time of polka dots and long skirts. The debut feature of Sajith Jaganathan, it explores an unusual subject cutting through two timelines. “At the core it’s an emotional thriller with a solid dose of suspense. But Ore Mugham also carries a dash of romance, friendship and humour,” says the director.
Dhyan Sreenivasan plays Zachariah Pothan, the campus boss surrounded by his cronies. “He doesn’t play the conventional hero, Zachariah is a character with shades of grey,” explains Sajith. While Aju Varghese, Deepak, Praksahan and Yasir step into other key roles, it’s Prayaga Martin who plays the heroine Bhama. Gaythri Suresh and Abhirami, who appear as a lecturer, are also part of the cast. Sajith says it’s not the Dhyan-Aju combo you have seen in Adi Kapyare Koottamani or Kunjiramayanam. “It’s a different kind of comedy and chemistry. Their characters carry zero resemblance to their previous outings.”
The highlight of the film is that all the young faces you see in the campus segment are later replaced by other artists. “Instead of resorting to matured makeovers we have other actors taking over the roles. So you won’t find Dhyan or Aju with streaks of grey.” The film opens with a murder investigation which takes the narrative to the flashback sequences.
“Chemban Vinod, Jewel Mary, Sreejith Ravi, Sohanlal, Hareesh Peradi - they all appear in the contemporary part only,” he adds. The film has been shot in Kerala Varma College, a campus brimming with old-world charm. “Seventy percent of the action unravels in the college, so we were very keen to pick a campus with retro ambiance,” he says. The film, produced by Jayalal Menon and Anil Biswas under the banner of Backwater Studios, is expected to hit the screens shortly.