With Iyobinte Pusthakam running to packed houses, the man behind the lens (in more ways than one) is a happy man. Cinematographer-cum-director Amal Neerad’s magnum opus has wowed critics and movie buffs alike. It’s a pre-Independence period film set in picturesque Munnar; not many Malayalam films in recent times can boast of the visual flavour that Iyobinte does. “Iyobinte is partly fictional and partly borrows from history,” says the director, referring to the characterisation of Communist leader and first protem speaker of Kerala Assembly, Rosamma Punnoose.
Iyobinte also saw popular Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil turn producer for the first time. “Malayalam industry is not big on budgets and doing a period film with limited finances was quite a task. Fahadh and I have stretched as far as we could,” says Neerad.
The childhood holidays Neerad took set the tone for Iyobinte. “As a kid, I used to spend many a vacation in Munnar, which has this gothic charm to it. Art director Sabu Mohan brought alive the tribal villages, assembled vintage cars and made convincing the portrayal of a bungalow that housed an affluent family while some of the sets we used were actual houses that stood the test of time,” he says.
Neerad has never failed to experiment and the proof is in the films he has churned over the years—Big B, Sagar Alias Jacky Reloaded, Anwar and 5 Sundarikal barring Bachelor Party. Bachelor Party could be compared to a Happy New Year. We ask the Kochi-based director if Malayali audiences are not receptive to commercial potboilers, and he says, “Perhaps they detest mindless entertainment is how I would put it. But my films have been known for slow motion and super heriosm. With a balanced act, one can get away,” he laughs.
Another constant grouse Neerad had to deal with is plagiarism, for he is constantly under the radar with respect to his films or even publicity posters. “I candidly admit that I have looked around for ‘inspiration’. I have only ‘recreated’ not ‘remade’,” he counters.
Right from megastar Mammooty to his offspring Dulquer Salmaan, Neerad has directed almost half of Mollywood and is alleged to have played favourites, in particular the Sukumaran brothers, Prithviraj and Indrajith. He refutes all that, “I am a friendly person by nature and love working with all. That is all.” Quickly, he also adds that a film with newcomers might be in the pipeline, as if stressing that he doesn’t go by star power always. While Neerad does rue the limited budgets within which the Malayalam industry operates, he is fine with the infiltration of big-budgeted Tamil movies taking a cake of the Kerala market. “These films might not be high on content compared to our movies, but cinema is global and we all need to see a variety of films. As a kid I remember sitting mesmerised in the theatres watching a Bharathiraja or a Balu Mahendra film.”
Romance, heist, period… Looks like Neerad has done it all, but knowing him, he isn’t easily satisfied, having set his sights on making a fantasy film. Well that’s what the future holds for the maverick director for now besides wielding the lens for the upcoming film of friend Anwar Rasheed.