In a scenic high range hamlet live Georgekutty, wife Rani and their two children. The family with its share of joys and anxieties advances tranquilly till an unexpected incident changes the course of their lives. Drishyam that reaches theatres today is a complete family drama, says Jeethu Joseph. The director who is on a winning streak with the success of Memories, My Boss and Mummy and Me is elated as he is joining league with Mohanlal for the first time for the film.
“It has been an amazing experience to call shots for an actor who is so comfortable to work with. The role of Georgekutty is tailor-made for Mohanlal,” says Jeethu with a smile.
The story-teller who as usual has penned the story and screenplay of the film elaborates the storyline:
“Georgekutty is a self-made man. Born as an orphan, he is diligent and ambitious to make a place for himself in society. Having studied only till class IV, Georgekutty aspires to provide the best education to his girls studying in seventh and eleventh standard. Unlike the thrifty Georgekutty, Rani loves to spend money. Being more educated than her husband (she is a class X dropout), Rani frequently gives her share of opinion to him which often leads to small rows in the closely-knit family.”
The director is tight-lipped about the incident that changes the flow of their lives. “It is the suspense of the film. How the family confronts the situation is the turning point,” says the director. All that can be digged out from him is that at the core of the film lies a socially-relevant subject.
Surprisingly Jeethu penned the story of the film even before Memories. He says, “I wrote it in between the announcement and the shooting of My Boss.
Meena essays the role of Rani. The actress will be sharing the screenspace with Mohanlal after a six year detour, the last one being Chandrolsavam released in 2007.
The director who dabbles in between different genres like humour, suspense and family drama in his each film says the subject decides the treatment of the film. “Different films require different treatment. I toiled hard while filming Memories as the film was full of twists and turns and the handling of the subject mattered a lot. But Drishyam is a complete script-oriented film that does not require any special effort. We shot the film sticking completely to the script, and the shooting was completed effortlessly,” says Jeethu.
The film was shot exclusively at Thodupuzha. Child artists Ansiba and Esther play the roles of Georgekutty’s children. Siddique, Kalabhavan Shajon, Irshad, Roshan Basheer, Kunchan, Koottickal Jayachandran and Asha Sharath are the other actors.
The background score of the film which has two songs is done by Anil Johnson and Vinu Thomas. Vijay Yesudas and Najim Arshad have crooned the songs. While Sujith Vassudev is the cinematographer, editing has been done by Ayoob Khan. The film is produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner of Aashirvad Cinemas.