Right from his debut movie in 2012, director Sugeeth has been known for adeptly sketching out rustic and unpretentious stories dealing with human emotions and lives on celluloid. Moving on from an ‘ordinary’ ride to a comic caper, Sugeeth is now wielding the megaphone for a family entertainer with Jayaram, in his third directorial venture.
The film, titled Onnum Mindathe unfurls the story of a middle-class couple and the intense relationship they share with each other. The plot thickens when an unexpected event takes place in their life and how they deal with that event forms the crux of the story. “It is simple story with no extravagant frills and fancies,” says Sugeeth. “Like any middle-class couple, the lead pair have their own ‘small big dreams’. For instance there is a situation where the couple have a two-wheeler but they wish to own a four-wheeler. Yet, even after acquiring a car, the wife asks to retain their old bike because of the invaluable moments the couple shared on it. This simple instance shows the strong emotional values the couple have in their life,” adds Sugeeth.
The catchy tagline ‘Love After Marriage’ says it all...”It could be the story of any couple’s life. Though the duo are very much in love, they reach a deeper understanding when they face a particular crisis,” says the director.
The couple have a six years-old kid and Jayaram dons the role of an agricultural officer. About the female lead, Sugeeth says, “The female lead and other characters are yet to be finalised. The female lead character has an equal prominance and it is a performance-oriented role. So it can also be a fresh face who has the potential to give an exemplary performance,” adds Sugeeth, whose last movie 3 Dots proved to be a laugh riot.
Ask him how he deals with the challenge of telling the tale of a family-oriented story when there is a rage for new-gen movies, he says, “Ordinary was not a new-gen movie. It was released in the middle of all those new-gen movies but people still liked it and I never expected that. I won’t compel any new-gen audience to go and see my movie. Onnum Mindathe will cater to the audience who love family-oriented realistic movies which they can easily connect to and identify themselves with.”
Initially, Biju Menon was roped in for the male lead. Ask Sugeeth about the change in cast, he says, “Biju Menon had some date issues as he is busy with some other projects. And as we were looking for a family man’s character, so Jayaram fit the bill aptly,” he says. Sugeeth is teaming up with Jayaram for the first time.
The story of Onnum Mindathey is penned by Rajesh Raghavan, who had earlier scripted Sugeeth’s 3 Dots.More about the film, Sugeeth says, “Onnum Mindathe does not depict the urban cosmopolitan life but a simple village life with down-to-earth and honest characters. The story is set in a village and we will start shooting in Thrissur by mid-October.”
Faizal Ali, who teamed with Sugeeth in Ordinary, cranks the camera and for Rafeeq Ahammed’s lyrics, debutant Anil Johnson will compose the music. “Music and songs have a key role to play in the film and we have finished composing two songs for the film,” adds Sugeeth.
The film is produced by Shafeer Sait under the banner of Qurban Films and is expected to hit the theatres by the end of January 2014.