She is no damsel in distress, nor does she fit the kohl-eyed, long haired format you are familiar with. Neena, the swigging-and-swearing heroine of Lal Jose’s latest, promises a whiff of freshness in more ways than one. ‘Beyond words’ is how the director defines her, as he goes on to add “an urban tomboy, free-spirited and effervescent.”
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Nee-Na’ is an emotional drama woven around three individuals played by Deepthi Sati, Ann Augustine and Vijay Babu. “‘Nee-Na’ means Neena and Nalini, and since it’s the story of two women it also involves a man,” says Lal Jose. Vijay Babu plays Vinay Panicker, the creative head of an ad agency who relocates to Kochi from Mumbai. Ann Augustine appears on screen as Nalini, Vinay’s wife, a homemaker and mother. “How the two women’s lives intersect at a particular point forms the basic premise of ‘Nee-Na’,” he adds.
Though Lal Jose agrees his drink-holding heroine is an anomaly in Mollywood, he says Neena is definitely inspired by the world around. “Neena is no alien, she is one of the drinking, smoking metro girls. I have seen lots of them, so I don’t think she holds any shock value except for the rural audience. Drinking used to be the trait of vamps and negative characters earlier, but Neena is a new-age girl who is into all this,” says the director. Most of Lal Jose films guarantee hearty laughs and light moments at the theatre, but ‘Nee-Na’ has just a slight undercurrent of humour, “there is no high-dose comedy. The film will create smiles not guffaws.”
‘Nee-Na’ has no bankable stars in its cast. While a newbie plays the lead, giving her company are a couple of low-profile actors. “But I would say the highlight of the film is its performances. Deepthi is not just a sparkling screen presence, she has come up with a stunning performance as well. Ann has come a long way from her ‘Elsamma’ days. After introducing her through the film, it’s our second film together and now she is a mature actress. But the dark horse of the film will be Vijay Babu, he has delivered beyond all expectations,” he says.
‘Nee-Na’ also introduces a new music director Nikhil J Menon who has composed four trending tracks for the film. “Music along with the BGM by Bijibal will be another highlight of the film. Then, Jomon T John has canned some ravishing visuals, especially the scenes shot in Russia,” he says. ‘Nee-Na’ scripted by R Venugopal and produced by Lal Jose, under the banner of LJ Films, will hit the screens this Friday.