Tracing an incident that happened in a war zone is not something we see often on the screen in Malayalam. The same goes with stories about expatriate nurses.
So, editor-turned-director Mahesh Narayanan’s Take Off comes across as a intriguing venture. Naturally, the real-life tale, about the ordeal of nurses, in the war zone of Tikrit in Iraq in 2014 is easily the most anticipated movie of the year.
The lead actor Kunchacko Boban agrees. He says Take Off is a special project. In a tete-a-tete with Express, Kunchacko shares more about the thriller.
Take Off A tribute
Take Off is a tribute to the late talented director Rajesh Pillai. In content, too, it has some similarities to Rajesh’s Traffic. It is a pacy thriller, but has a certain amount of emotions, too.
The story is inspired from the lives of nurses who were struck in war-torn Iraq, but the team has taken some cinematic liberties and went ahead with a little bit of fiction, too.
Neverthless, this is a unique attempt. Mahesh has done a lot of research and we had a wonderful crew as well. Parvathy, too, plays a nurse, while Fahadh Faasil plays the Indian ambassador. Cinematographer Sanu Varghese has done a commendable work. The scenes he shot enhances the mood. Overall, ‘Take Off’ is a wonderful film.
Playing a male nurse
This is the first time I play a male nurse in a movie. This is one character which has rarely has been played on the screen. But, as an actor I believe in being a director’s tool. I am not someone who does in-depth research on the character, rather, I talk to the scriptwriter or the director and learn what their demand is.
Next project
I am currently shooting for Ranjith Shankar’s Ramante Eden Thottam. It is an entertainer, with a postive message, so its the other extreme of Take Off. I play a very matured guy, who is in his 40ies. Though it is a humourous subject, it has a very subtle message about the prevalence of materialism in our society.