Only few Mollywood films have the backdrop of bountiful nature and the vivid cultural milieu of Kerala. Realising the potential of unadulterated nature, debutant director Sugeeth has his film ‘Ordinary’ set in the bewitching Gavi forests. The movie, which releases this Saturday, is also the fulfillment of a long cherished dream for the director. “I started my film career as an assistant director to Kamal. The first movie I worked along with him was ‘Chakram’, which failed to materialise after a week’s shoot. Later, I became a regular in Kamal’s crew from ‘Gramophone’ onwards. The story for my first film came into my mind after reading an article on Gavi in a magazine. The article mentioned about a KSRTC bus service to Gavi from Pathanamthitta station everyday. The bus will conduct one trip from Pathanamthitta, which will go through Chittar, Seethathodu, Angamuzhi, Kakkad , Pamba Dam, to reach Gavi. I found it pretty interesting and got the spark for the movie from there,” says Sugeeth.
Though bus is a main character in the movie, Sugeeth said that ‘Ordinary’ is not a road movie. “It is a cool entertainer, I will say. The chunk of the story takes place in the village. It is all about how Palakkadan Suku, the driver of the only bus to Gavi, and its conductor Iravaikkuttan Pillai, get involved in the day-to-day affairs of the villagers, though it is not purposeful intervention,“ he says.
Biju Menon plays the role of Suku and Kunchakko Boban is portraying Irvaikkutty Pillai. Debutant Sritha Sivadas is the heroine while Ann Augustine dons another major character. “The slang used by Biju Menon’s character is slightly different. He is using typical Palakkadan style. Chakkochan plays a character who dreams of becoming a politician but ended up as a bus conductor. Asif Ali appears as another major character Bhadran,” adds Sugeeth.
There are five songs included in the movie. Composed by Vidyasagar, the songs including ‘Sun Sun’ have already found a place in the hit chart. The movie has created a hype among the film buffs and Sugeeth admits that the over-expectations have increased his responsibility. “It took nearly 65 days for us to complete the movie. Right from getting permission from the forest authorities and the shooting inside the deep forest, the schedule was hectic. But now it is left to the audience to decide and my request to them is that come with an open mind without any anticipation . Enjoy the movie as a venture from the first time director,” he adds.