Living a legacy is an adventure in itself, especially when it comes to a matchless master.
Bharathan’s films had an aura of unadulterated magic and recreating that wizardry will be nothing short of a miracle.
‘Nidra’, intense and darkly nuanced, had that unmistakable ‘Bharathan touch’.
Now it’s up to his son Siddharth Bharathan to keep the spell unbroken through his debut outing.
‘Nidra’ revolves around two individuals caught up in the whirlwind of love and insanity.
Compared to many other movies of the maverick storyteller, ‘Nidra’ seems an unlikely choice.
But Sadanand Lucsam , the producer of the film, says that it was the storyline of the yesteryear classic that prompted them to zero in on ‘Nidra’.
“‘Nidra’ was a commercial hit even then.
But we strongly felt that the theme is more relevant today and if reinterpreted in an aesthetic way it will come out brilliantly,” he says.
Mollywood too was bitten by the remake bug lately, but he assures that ‘Nidra’ will be different from others in more ways than one.
“‘Nidra’ is not an offshoot of the reckless remake rage, but a careful retelling of the timeless love story,” he says.
He also insists that the film is no attempt at tasteless repetition, but a reinterpretation of an evergreen subject.
“The core of the film is romance.
And, it is no frame-to-frame imitation of the original as we created a new script based on the storyline for the film.
Siddharth and Santosh Echikkanam have penned the adapted screenplay.
The film is Siddharth’s version of the original,” he says.
He also adds that Siddharth playing the lead was not something in their original plan.
“We tried out other artists.
But failed to find someone who could handle the character without risking the depth and intensity,” he says.
Another highlight of the film is KPAC Lalitha reprising the role she did 33 years ago for the original.
“The veteran actress will be playing the same character, that of the heroine’s mother, she did for the Bharathan film,” he says.
He also adds that he opted the film not hoping for a roaring hit.
“I can’t say whether it will be a BO buster.
But it will be a genuine and engaging film, something the audience would love,” he says.
Siddharth, Rima Kallingal and Jishnu play the main roles in the film produced under the banner Lucsam Creations.
The film slated for a late February release has Sameer Thahir cranking the camera and Jassie Gift scoring the music.
