‘Enne thallandammava njan nannavoolla ...’ goes the promo song of ‘Oru Vadakkan Selfie’, wacky and flamboyant. And it quintessentially captures the mood of Prajith Karnavar’s debut venture, a film brimming with youthful pizzazz. Scripted by Vineeth Sreenivasan, it zooms into the world of new-gen internet junkies and their roller-coaster lives. “After completing a professional course and before finding a job there is an in-between phase. The film shows how youngsters pass through that,” says the director.
Nivin Pauly plays Umesh, the hero who gets suddenly smitten by films. “Umesh completes his B Tech course and returns home, but has to clear tons of supplies to pass. As a shortcut to success he decides to make films and in his adventure he is joined by two other friends,” says Prajith. Aju Varghese plays Shaji who runs a textile shop, while Neeraj Madhav is Thanga Prasad, a private bus driver. ‘Oru Vadakkan Selfie’ has some B Tech grads in its cast and crew including Nivin Pauly and Vineeth Sreenivasan and Prajith says many an engineering student end up in cinema nowadays. “I wouldn’t call it a trend or anything. But a handful of assistant directors too have the same background,” he says.
As the first step towards making it big in the movie world, Umesh decides to make a short film. “The trio get busy raising the money and later relocate to Chennai for better prospects. Their whole gamble is told in a very humorous style,” he says. Vineeth Sreenivasn appears in another key role as the good Samaritan they encounter in Chennai. The film also launches Manjima, who had been a popular child artiste, as the heroine. “She plays Daisy, Umesh’s neighbour who he has a crush on,” he says. Vijayaraghavan, Bhagath, Sreelakshmi Thulasi Mani, Mohan Keezhattoor and P Sukumar are also part of the cast.
There are people who keep posting truckloads of selfies on social networking sites and Prajith says its a term youngsters can easily relate to. “It also means self portrait and since the film is mainly set in Malabar we thought it would be an apt title,” he says.
At the same time he adds that it’s not a total new-gen film. “The backdrop of the film is a typical Kerala village. Moreover, it’s the kind of film all sections of audience can enjoy,” he says. The film produced by Vinod Shornur is expected to hit screens this weekend.