Following the footsteps of Bollywood, the fables of nationalism are seemingly the new way of film-making for the dream merchants in Malayalam film industry as well. After the recent Pazhassi Raja and Urumi (which is set to hit the screen soon), next in line is Veeraputhran, unfolding the life and times of Mohamed Abdul Rahman Sahib, great freedom fighter and protagonist from Malabar.
Directed by P T Kunhumuhammed, the film is intended at recapturing the forgotten legacies of one of the great freedom fighters and whetting the appetite of the youth to learn more about freedom struggle and country’s great leaders.
“The vibrant freedom movement in Malabar is a treasure trove of unexplored themes for film- makers. The life of Mohamed Abdul Rahman Sahib is still unknown to a large majority of Keralites, especially the younger generation,” Kunhumuhammed told Express.
Mohamed Abdul Rahman Sahib was an ardent follower of Subhas Chandra Bose and had associated himself with the Forward Bloc. He was jailed from 1940 to 1945 by the British during the Second World War. When it came to the two-nation theory, he opposed the idea tooth and nail which turned many of his own community members against him.
The movie will sail through the long and turbulent history of freedom movement in Malabar from 1921 to 1945, tracing the political life of one of the greatest and comparatively least known figures of freedom struggle in the region. Yet, the director says the film is decidedly middle-brow. “I believe that movies should satisfy the sensibilities of the common man. Mohamed Abdul Rahman Sahib, though he lived with and for people, had a personal life with lots of dramatic, emotional and high-strung moments that could all be explored and exploited in the script,” Kunhumuhammed says.
The director had earlier critically dealt with human sentiments through movies like Magrib, Garshome and Paradesi by avoiding melodrama and at the same time catering to popular sensibilities.
While Prithviraj will don the lead role, Hindi actress Raima Sen will play the role of the protagonist’s wife. “A large group of actors have been cast as there are more than 100 characters in the film,” Kunhumuhammed says.
The film will be shot mostly in locations around Kozhikode and locations like Bellary jail will be recreated for the film. The narrative strategy used in the film would be similar to a meta-fiction technique of story-telling. “The actual story would unfold through a group of research scholars who are researching the life of the legendary leader,” Kunhumuhammed said.
