Malayalam cinema is getting one more newcomer. Meet Vivek Aryan, who is making his directorial debut with Ormayil Oru Shishiram. Touted to be a nostalgia-driven story, the film has Deepak Parambol and Anaswara Ponnambath playing the main characters.Vivek has worked with Jeethu Joseph as an assistant director on the films Drishyam and Memories. Ormayil... is backed by Maqtro Pictures, with whom Vivek was supposed to another project earlier which didn’t materialise.
But the relationship he established with them paved the way for an opportunity later, through the script of Ormayil... “The folks at Maqtro are very supportive and open-minded. Three out of the four films they did so far were made by newcomers. They encourage new talent,” says Vivek.The uniqueness of Ormayil... lies in its familiarity, according to Vivek. “We are not claiming that the subject matter is something new. It would be an experience familiar to most of us — things we have experienced in our school days or in college. It’s all about relatable emotions, especially for those who belong to the same generation as that of the film’s characters.”
In Ormayil..., Deepak plays a first-time filmmaker reminiscing about his high school days. The character shares some similarities with Vivek — both have assisted Jeethu Joseph. The suggestion to cast Deepak came from Maqtro, as the actor had worked in the Asif Ali film B.Tech, which was produced by the banner.
“Deepak sent me an old picture of his in which he was lean and sported a clean-shaven look. After seeing that, I felt he was apt for the role. Deepak liked the character and set aside three months to drop 15 kilos,” recalls Vivek.The film was shot mostly in Thalassery, and there is a reason why. “Though it’s set in 2006, we wanted it to be as distanced from modernity as possible. To give off an old school vibe, we placed the story in a government school in a remote village.”
The female lead, Anaswara Ponnambath, hails from Kannur and is a recipient of the Kalaprathibha title. “Though she is a newcomer, we didn’t feel like she was acting for the first time. She was well-prepared and has performed wonderfully in the film,” says Vivek.Ormayil... is lensed by Arun James (Netholi Oru Cheriya Meenalla) and edited by Abhilash Balachandran. The film is expected to release sometime in the first or second week of May.