Amal Neerad is Mollywood’s indisputable showman, all his films filled to the brim with cinematic extravagance. And when the director treads into the folklore-meets-fiction territory, there’s bound to have some fireworks. ‘Iyobinte Pusthakm’, his period drama starring an ensemble cast, seems not just a slice of past but much more. “The film spreads across 1900s, mainly mapping the life during British Raj. Set in the mountains of Munnar, it’s both a period drama and love story,” says Amal.
While weaving fiction into a historic context, the film also bears a tender romance tucked into the folds of main narrative. Amal says blending colour and spice into the socio-political commentary was no easy affair, as it required meticulous research. “This is the biggest film of my career, the product of painstakingly long research and indulgence. In ‘Iyobinte Pusthakam’ the period quotient is not limited to cotton clothes and well-oiled hairstyle. Vehicles, including bullock carts, were chosen considering many aspects including the climate,” he says.
Amal says it’s the distinct colonial air of Munnar that made him settle for the hill station. “Munnar is a place throbbing with the reminiscences of a colonial past, a fitting backdrop for the story. Everything including the architecture is a hark-back to another century. I dug up a slew of original old B&W photographs from a studio there which were later used as reference points,” he says.
‘Iyobinte Pusthakam’ also boasts of a magnificent cast, with a bevy of prominent players in key roles. “It’s not a hero-heroine-villain format, the film features nearly 15 lead characters,” says Amal. Fahad Fazil plays Aloshy, a naval officer and he is paired opposite Isha Sharvani who appears on screen as half-British Marta. Lal, Jayasurya, Padmapriya, Reenu Mathews, Lena and Vinayakan are also part of the cast. “Munnar in 1900s has a specific flavour, it used to be a motley mix of Malayalis, Tamilians, tribal folk and Britishers. Jayasurya plays Ankur Ravutar, a Madurai-based timber exporter,” he says.
Amal adds it’s also an attempt to reintroduce history for a younger set of audience. “I have tried to chronicle history in a way crowds can easily connect. There were firebrand political figures like Rosamma Punnoose and Akkamma Cherian whose names may not be familiar to a section of audience. Then, three couples were part of the first Kerala ministry, Rosamma Punnoose-P T Punnoose, Gowri Amma-T V Thomas, Susheela Gopalan -AKG, people who didn’t consider politics and personal life two different entities. That sort of progressive trend was later not seen,” he says.
Cinema accommodating history means finding that fine balance between drama and credibility. Amal says his film is history presented in an entertaining style. “Though the film is basically fiction it’s placed in a particular social milieu and you will see some characters that resemble historical figures. 1945 to 57 is perhaps the most eventful period in our history, a time of transition which has a drama of its own,” he says. The film scripted by Gopan Chitambaran and Syam Pushkaran has Neha Nair and Yakzan Gary Pereria scoring the music. ‘Iyobinte Pusthakam’ produced by Fahad Fazil and Amal Neerad hits the screens this weekend.