A crude-and-crass businessman with a heart of gold. Siddique says his Bhaskar is not just a lovable rogue, but Mammootty’s most endearing avatar in recent times. His festival spectacle has the mega star in title role and giving him company on screen is South’s most-sought-after actress Nayantara. “It’s a character entirely different from our last outings like ‘Hitler’ and ‘Chronic Bachelor’. ‘Bhaskar the Rascal’ is a family drama with a lot of freshness,” says the director.
A full-on entertainer, ‘Bhaskar the Rascal’ carries all the festive fireworks on its tapestry of comedy, action and drama. “Just like my previous films this also will be an out-and-out entertainer,” Siddique says. The film is woven around its lead characters and what happens when two seemingly incompatible persons are thrown together.
Mammootty steps into the shoes of rough and boorish Bhaskar, a businessman who lacks any refinement. He is the son of a foreign-educated banker and belongs to a renowned and respectable family. But Bhaskar bids goodbye to studies after class 10 and is now running a handful of lucrative businesses in Kochi. “When Bhaskar was a child he saw his father go broke and he drops his studies so that he can earn back everything they have lost. He turns a thug because of the situations and is called ‘rascal’ by others because of his ruthless ways. Though he is good at heart, he is careful not to show his soft side to anyone,” he adds. Siddique, who has also penned the screenplay of the film, says Bhaskar is a character tailor-made for Mammootty. “The character was developed keeping him in mind. No other actor can pull off Bhaskar well.”
Bhaskar, who is a widower, has a son who studies in an international school. “He is very refined and disciplined like his grandfather. Between the three Bhaskar is the odd man out because of his ill-mannered nature. His sidekicks played by Harisree Ashokan and Kalabhavan Shajon are equally uncouth,” he says. Master Sanoop plays the son while Anikha appears in another important role. “More details about Anikha’s character can’t be revealed now,” adds Siddique.
Nayantara’s Hima is a confectioner and she is everything Bhaskar is not. “Hima is a suave and self-made entrepreneur who radiates sophistication. She is fiercely independent and follows her own ideology of life,” says Siddique. The director adds ‘Bhaskar the Rascal’ is no hero-oriented stuff and Nayantara has a meaty part in the storyline. “She plays a really strong character on par with Mammootty, and that’s the very reason she agreed to be part of it,” he says. “The film also gives the supporting cast their well-deserved space. Janardhanan and the two child artists play key roles in the film,” he adds.
The film features three songs composed by Deepak Dev to the lines penned by Rafeeq Ahmed and Hari Narayan. Vijay Ulaganath has cranked the camera for the film mainly shot in and around Kochi. ‘Bhaskar the Rascal’ produced by Anto Joseph under the banner of Anto Joseph Film Company will hit the screens on April 10.