Jakes Bejoy, music director
In Malayalam, native songs pick up fast. For example, the songs in Kaduva and Ayyappanum Koshiyum don’t have complicated lyrics and immediately appeal to the Malayali sensibility. While doing research for Ayyappanum Koshiyum, I realized that we have over 300 folk styles.
I have plans to delve deep into folk music. I’m working on an independent project called the ‘Roots’ series, which aims to bring out those hitherto unexplored folk genres and present them in a way that piques people’s interest.
A R Rahman sir is the one who has influenced me the most. I also love Johnson Master, Devarajan Master, and Vidyasagarji’s works. Internationally, I’m a huge fan of Hans Zimmer, Ennio Morricone, Ludwig Göransson, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross.
I strongly insist that every kid should learn to play a musical instrument. Not everyone can sing, but learning to play an instrument is an extra skill that will boost confidence. Years later, it’s these skills that will remain and not what you studied for your competitive exams.
Asif Ali, actor
During the actress' sexual assault issue, my reactions invited a lot of trouble for me, but that’s who I am, and I’m ready to face its after-effects. I’ve always done what I wanted to, and I’ve never regretted anything.
I believe there are always different versions of a story. I don’t respond to a lot of issues, because in most cases I’m not sure which version is true. I’ve also never felt the need to voice my concerns on such issues through social media.
I can’t fake it, and I’m averse to people who fake it. I’ve experienced the unpleasant after-effects of being in circles that I don’t gel with. That’s why I’ve maintained a close circle of only a few people.
I was fortunate to have worked in my initial phase with Shyamaprasad sir, Sibi Malayil sir, Joshiy sir, and Sathyan Anthikad sir. My journey was unplanned. Then the competition phase happened. I got all the scripts that Prithviraj, Jayasurya, Indrajith, and Kunchacko Boban rejected.
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I want to do films like KGF, which the public flocks to theatres to watch…. I’m someone who believes that films have to be cinematic and should give a full-on escape experience, so I have plans to commit to such films in the future.
Poornima Indrajith, actor
We mostly learn about the stories of the victors, don’t we? The account of losers rarely gets a mention, and it’s usually through a casual reference like a ‘period of starvation’ or something like that. The privileged among us didn’t find the need to know about these things. But those who are intensely passionate and curious embark on a journey of discovery -- to narrate those stories. We are enjoying a lot of privileges, and it is our duty, as a community, to address the issues of the underprivileged.
When I got married, the conditioning in the film industry and society was such that female actors don’t act after marriage. Naturally, I didn’t get any offers after marriage. Even though I wanted to be active in cinema, I was just a 23-year-old who wasn’t brave enough to challenge such existing notions. After a point, I got back to doing TV shows. But I lost the excitement and realised that was not what I had wanted to do. I had a lot of doubts and insecurities during that time, and I used to share them with Indran. It was one such casual conversation with him that helped me finally realise my true passion.
Shahi Kabir, writer-director
Directing a film is a risk. But that’s a risk you should be willing to take, and, of course, one can find pleasure in that. We are all a little bit mental; that’s our driving force. Being deeply involved in some work — isn’t that what shields us from dark or depressing thoughts?
Once, [while on police duty] I had to be involved in a procedure involving an elderly lady’s seven-day-old corpse, which caused a considerable degree of numbness. The smell won’t leave for days…. For comfort, I turned to the head constable who trained me; he told me I wasn’t the only one, they all had been there. The good news, he added, was that we’ll forget it once we see the next body.
Nayattu was not a ‘family audience’ movie. The climax was not commercial-friendly. We had one such ending in mind, but Martin [Prakkat] chettan decided that the present ending was the right one. If we had gone with the alternative, we would’ve undone everything that came before it.
These friends of mine who wrote Ela Veezha Poonchira, Nidhish G and Shaji Maarad, showed the story to different directors. And when those discussions didn’t work out, it landed on my lap. We worked on the script for one and a half years.
Ranjan Pramod, writer-director
Two days before Randam Bhavam’s release, we organized a preview in Chennai, which was attended by all the big names in Malayalam cinema. They all heaped praise. But things changed when it was released in theatres. I was shattered. Later, Ajith watched the film and wanted to remake it in Tamil. But, I didn’t want to revisit it.
As Naran became a hit, people expected something similar. But, Photographer was like a docu-fiction. My priority wasn’t commercial success, but documenting the Muthanga incident. In my own land, my government used guns against our own aboriginals, our tribals.
Manassinakkare happened when I saw a magazine’s cover with the headline ‘Sheela wants to come back’. It had a gorgeous black-and-white photo of her, and I kept wondering what costume would suit this beautiful woman now. At that moment, the song, ‘Kizhakke malayile vennilavoru Christiani pennu’, struck me from nowhere. I imagined Sheela in chattayum mundum, and that costume led me to the story.
In the case of Ennum Eppozhum, the challenge was to zero in on a subject that could fit in both Mohanlal and Manju Warrier with equal prominence…. we couldn’t make them a romantic pair. We knew people would jeer the moment these two said, ‘I Love You’. So we conceived the last scene first—the moment romance blooms, the film ends.
Lenaa, actor & writer
My moment of enlightenment happened on September 3, 2004. This can happen to you, anywhere, anytime. You could be sitting and relaxing, meditating, having a near-death experience, or doing some psychedelic. It took me 19 years to put this ‘I’ into this format [book]. It’s simple. We are all life. And ‘I’ is one – life.
The person who has helped me on this spiritual journey the most is none other than Mohanlal. At one shoot, I was reading. Mohanlal asked me what I was reading. It was ‘Courage’ by Osho. He opened up. He recommended another work of Osho – ‘The Book of Secrets’, a commentary on Vigyan Bhairav Tantra. It covers 112 techniques to master the question of ‘Who I am’.
Reincarnation is not a belief for me; I have experienced it. While going through withdrawal symptoms, I started remembering my past lives. I was a Buddhist monk, and I died at the age of 63. Maybe, that is why I tonsured my head and felt the spontaneous call to visit the Himalayas.
Sandra Thomas, film producer
It’s true that drug usage is rampant in Malayalam cinema. People who take these drugs don’t sleep at night, so they’re always late for the shoot. We also don’t know when they’re sober. They’ll nod at all our instructions, but they won’t be listening. They keep forgetting the time and dates.
The Malayalam industry needs more good writers. We lack people who read a lot, who lack life experiences... So I think good writers who also read are what we need the most. And more women should enter the industry. Only then will there be a real change.
Sophia Paul, film producer
A lot of prominent production houses approached me [to remake Minnal Murali], but I didn’t want to give it away. I thought - let this superhero be for Malayalam only.
It was I who said we should cast Babu Antony in RDX. Right from his debut film, Chilampu, people have always loved his style of action.
Initially, we discussed many leading actors to play the villain [in Minnal Murali]. When we approached Vijay Sethupathi for the role of Tovino’s father, he was more interested in the villain character. But, by then, we had finalized Guru Somasundaram.
Since I’m a female producer, many have noticed me from the time of Bangalore Days. I’m happy when people want to speak to me. We should also celebrate producers.
Stephy Zaviour, costume designer and director
Since I’m not a part of the WCC, I’m not the right person to comment on its impact. But still, if you ask me as an industry insider, I would say I haven’t felt any changes. Be it WCC or any other organization, they all have their agendas.
We often hear actors complaining about pay disparity or lack of caravan facilities. But there are other crew members like hairdressers, costume assistants, and background artists, whose issues also need to be addressed. I always believe change should start from the bottom.