One morning, around six years ago, the bell rang at scriptwriter Sachi’s house in Tripunithara, a suburb of Kochi. When Sachi opened the door, a young man stood there. He said, “My name is Arun Gopy. I have been working for a few years in the Malayalam film industry as an assistant director.” Sachi invited him in. They began chatting. And then Arun made his request, “Sir, I want to direct my first film based on a script by you.”
Sachi immediately said, “I am tied up in many projects. It would be better for you to look for somebody else.” But Arun said he would wait. Over the next few years, they would chat regularly on the phone. And then Sachi realised that Arun and he shared the same wavelength when it came to films.
So, when there was a gap between projects, and Sachi had a story ready, he decided to give it to Arun. That script was called Ramaleela.
The film, which was released recently, has now become a blockbuster. So the wait was well worth it for Arun. But there were a lot of anxious moments.
The hero, Dileep, had been arrested for allegedly being the mastermind behind the abduction and rape of a Mollywood actress.
The fate of the film hung in balance. But, after a three-month incarceration, public opinion turned in favour of Dileep. That was when the producer released the film.
“The positive attitude towards Dileep was one of the reasons why Ramaleela did well,” says Sachi. “But it also had to be a good film for it to get an audience. It is a fast-paced film.
The viewer is always moving forward, from one crisis to an even bigger one.” What helped was the stunning and unexpected climax. “At that time, I had only one climax in my mind,” he says, adding, “Dileep, accused of a political murder, has proved his innocence.”
But to write the last portion of the script, Sachi went to an area near the Mookambika Temple in Karnataka. “One morning, I got up and had a brainwave: ‘why not another climax’,” says Sachi.
“It was a memorable moment for me. I would describe it as divine intervention,” he adds.
Today, Sachi is regarded as one of the leading scriptwriters in Mollywood. His previous film, Anarkali, which he wrote and directed did well at the box office. He also wrote the scripts for Chettayees and Run Baby Run. “Writing is never easy,” he says, adding, “Sometimes, I do get a creative block. But it is all worth it when the script is finally ready.”