If a man’s gaze lingers on a woman for more than 8.2 seconds, it indicates love at first sight or so they say. In other words it’s the shortest duration required for romance to bloom between a couple meeting each other for the first time. But Kanakaraghavan’s Ettekal Second is not a mere boy-meets-girl romance filled to the brim with sugar-coated scenes.
“Very often people find it difficult to break emotional bonds. There are youngsters who place love above everything else and then there are sons and daughters who cannot afford to hurt their parents. There are also people who try to fulfil their dreams without risking other relationships. My film is a realistic take on the whole concept of love,” he says. Tommy John has penned the story and script of the film.
Ettekal Second revolves around two youngsters Sandeep and Neethu.
Sandeep is a normal Malayali youth hunting for a job and all he wants is a career abroad or clearing a PSC test.
“His father works for the wealthy landlord Menon and the film shows how his life changes when Menon’s granddaughter Neethu lands in Kerala from Mumbai. Sandeep and Neethu, who start off as friends, find themselves attracted to each other,” says the director. Adding a third angle to the plot is Neethu’s jealous fiancee Mithun who doesn’t approve of Sandeep. “The film doesn’t just follow their love track, but shows how attached they are to their families,” he adds.
While Govind Padmasoorya and Mia appear on screen as the lead pair, Rohith Vijayan, Janardanan, Suraj Venjaramood, Vijayaraghavan, Madhu, Devan Urmila Unni and Kollam Thulasi are also part of the cast.
Another highlight of the film is a song sequence that was completely shot underwater. “During the filming the actors had to remain underwater for nearly one minute and at the same time look relaxed. To make it look natural they underwent some training before the shoot,” he says.
The underwater scenes were directed by Vinod Vijayan while Sinu Sidharth is the cinematographer for he sequence. Kanakaraghavan says the film will be leagues apart from the run-of-the-mill love stories as it doesn’t go for any cliches. “There is no running-around-the-tree songs or duets. Songs have been used to bring out the emotional part of it,” he explains. The film produced by Santosh Babusenan under the banner of Fifth Element will hit the theatres this weekend.