After the confused desi comes Charlie. Martin Prakkat, who wooed the audience with his delightful ABCD, is back in action. ‘An intriguing love story’, as the director puts it, the film stars Dulquar Salman and Parvathy Menon in lead roles along a motley cast. “I would call Charlie a musical romance. The film has a couple of brisk-and-refreshing tracks from Gopi Sundar-Rafeeq Ahmed duo. There are a total of six songs, all with a pleasing twist,” says Martin.
Charlie is not a simple boy-meets-girl tale as it comes with some surprises in store. “No more details about the lead characters can be revealed now. The film will be more enjoyable if you watch it without any prior info. Since the characters and their chemistry form the crux of the storyline, you will have to wait to know who Charlie is,” he says. While Aparna Gopinath, who played the female lead in ABCD, appears in an important role, Nedumudi Venu, Joju George, Joy Mathew, Renji Panicker, Tovino Thomas, Neeraj Madhav, Chemban Vinod, Jacob Gregory, Seetha and Kalpana are also part of the cast.
Though it brims with youthful energy, Charlie doesn’t follow the funky-chirpy template of ABCD. “The screenplay is woven in a different format. You will not find any similarity, especially when it comes to plot and treatment,” he says. Kuttikkanam, Peerumedu, Fort Kochi and Gujarat being the main locations, it’s also not a film with an out-and-out urban setting. “The backdrop is a blend of urban and rural, but more than where the story is placed, we are focusing on how it’s told,” he adds. The film has wrapped up its first schedule in Kuttikanam with two more schedules to go.
If free-flowing hilarity was the USP of ABCD, Charlie comes with just a sprinkle of it. “It’s not a film loaded with comedy, there is romance, music, drama and humour - elements that normally come in-sync with love stories. It’s the kind of story that appeals to all sections of audience including the kids. We want Charlie to amuse them all and to spread a smile on their faces,” he says.
Charlie has its story and dialogues by Unni R while Jomon T John cranks the camera. Martin Prakkat, Shebin Becker and Joju George are jointly producing the film under the banner of Finding Cinema. The release date is not yet confirmed.
