Chess is a sea of boiling intrigue, a mind game marked by cold arbitrary rationale. In most of the films you are served a slice of the game for ornamentation, but in some others it has a more integral role. August Club falls into the second category as the film draws parallels between chess board and life unwinding the story of a queen caught in an intricate emotional tangle. The directorial debut of K B Venu, the film follows the POV of a woman - a wife, mother, poetess and chess wizard. “The film explores the labyrinth of matrimony and the intricacies of emotional communication between the sexes,” says the director.
The film is the screen adaptation of Venalinte Kalaneekkangal, a short story by Anandapadmanabhan, son of late filmmaker P Padmarajan. “Savithri and Nandagopan make a picture perfect couple. Chess and literature are Savithri’s major indulgences though her husband is hardly versed in any. Into their quiet life arrives a third one and the film captures the emotional turmoil it erupts in Savithri’s life. She is torn between freewheeling fantasies and wifely loyalties,” says Anandapadmanabhan, who is also the scenarist of the film. He also adds that the film has taken just the basic thread from the original as the conversion to 70 mm demanded a lot of refitting. “The script was made building on the short story, but so many things including the climax has been changed for the film,” he says.
The film starts during the offset of a summer and progresses through it’s ruthless fury. “I was interested in the story because it had some brilliant cinematic qualities. What I found most fascinating was the protagonist, a female chess-player who is a happily married with two kids,” says K B Venu. He adds that other than story, music is another element that defines the idiom of the film. “In the story there are brief references to western classical music, specifically strains of a Beethoven symphony wafting across the balcony of Savithri’s home. In the film, music is not an appendage, but a part of the narrative.”
The director says August Club is more of a middle-stream family drama that will easily strike a chord with all kinds of audience. “It’s definitely not a cheesy potboiler, but at the same time it’s not a film that alienates the audience. Popular elements are integrated into the narrative without compromising on the aesthetics,” explains Venu.
At one point the film switches from an urban backdrop to Marottichal, the little village in Thrissur, which worships the game of chess. “This rural excursion is one major change we have made from the original. Chess is often considered as the sport of the elite, but here we have a village full of people who indulge in the game with boundless enthusiasm,” he says.
Since it’s a female oriented narrative, Rima’s Savithri claims the maximum reel time. “She is there in almost every shot and the actress carries the whole film on her shoulders,” says the director. Murali Gopi steps out of his rough zone to play the endearing husband Nandagopan. Praveen Anidil appears on screen as Shishir Menon, the charming youngster who shares Savithri’s interests and intrudes her world.
Thilakan, Mala Aravindan, Sunil Sukhada, Sukumari, KPAC Lalitha and Monisha Sagar are also part of the cast. Prathap P Nair cranks the camera while composer duo Bennet Veetraag has scored music for the lines penned by Rafeeq Ahmed. The film produced by V S Aneesh under the banner of Darsini Concept hits the screens this weekend.