Get geared for another campus season as Sibi Malayil’s latest flick starring a set of youngsters is all set to hit theatres.
But contrary to popular notion, Sibi’s latest offering ‘Apoorvaragam’ is not a candyfloss campus romance as the film has a serious subject to slice through.
“The devil-may-care attitude of the youth and their mode of taking decisions on the spur of the moment lead to tragic paybacks. They get swept to unsafe situations steered by love and friendship and when they realise the hellhole they are in there will be no opening left for them to save themselves. My film is about the youth and the dangerous fancies they are caught in,” says Sibi.
But the master of soul stirring dramas guarantees that his latest bid is nothing short of his usual dose of brio and intrigue. The film set against the backdrop of a campus zooms into the eventful life of a bunch of youngsters.
“The film is not devoid of the youthful zest you expect from a campus film, yet it has a strong message, a startling warning for teenagers as well as their parents.”
Sibi also has it that ‘Apoorvaragam’ has great relevance in the present day scenario when the youth is hesitant to believe in and follow the value system.
“During my campus days the bonds were far more stronger and unconditional, relations were not stained with bitterness and animosity. But today values are lost to the winds and innocence is almost nonexistent. There are no close-knit relationships that make you an irreplaceable part of family or friend’s circle. Now campus closeness is something that comes with clear-cut specifications, something that demands and depends on money and more,” he adds.
He feels that the film will be a vexing reminder to the parents to watch over and intervene before it’s too late. “These wayward kids are the result of defective parenting. Today’s parents have no time to spare as they are on a mad rush to earn more,” he says.
But all the gravity of the subject doesn’t make the film a serious watch and it does have a lovely romantic angle.
“There is romance but more than the relationship the film traces the track on which new-age love travels,” he says. The film has a suggestive title too and Sibi says ‘Apoorvaragam’ denotes the new face of love. “It shows how love gets manipulated and corrupted ending up in distasteful situations.”
The film has Nishal, Asif Ali and Nitya Menon in the lead with Vinay and Abhishek playing crucial roles. “Though campus life and love are dealt with in the film it doesn’t follow the conventional narrative pattern. I wanted an image-free cast to avoid a preconceived notion about characters and their credentials. I opted for a relatively fresh cast with absolutely no baggage of an image.”
‘Apoorvaragam’ is also being made in Tamil with the same cast and is titled ‘Poi Azhagan’. Sibi, who turned down offers to remake his Malayalam hits into Tamil, says it’s the universality of the theme that has prompted him to make the film in Tamil.
The two films were canned simultaneously with some parts of the Tamil version shot in Chennai. “None of the offers that came my way in the past were inspiring enough.
But this is a film free from all the spatial specifications and all sections of the audience can easily relate to it. I will be happy to remake ‘Apoorvaragam’ in any Indian language.”