Nahas Nazar, a native of Changanassery, began his journey into filmmaking like many aspirants, without a background or formal training in the craft. His pursuit of cinema started in Kochi as an assistant director, with his first experience assisting Rishi Sivakumar on Valleem Thetti Pulleem Thetti (2016). However, it was his association with director Khalid Rahman that truly shaped his approach to cinema.
Nahas wholeheartedly praises his mentor, saying, “Rahman ikka is someone who remains unshaken, even if a mountain were to collapse around him.” He then adds, “Having come from the school of Anwar Rasheed and Rajeev Ravi, he is a filmmaker who ensures his assistants are well-prepared to tackle any challenges that may arise during a shoot.”
Nahas’ directorial debut, a road trip comedy starring Asif Ali and Suraj Venjaramoodu, is all set to hit the theatres this Friday. As the filmmaker describes it, “Adios Amigo is about two friends who meet by chance and go on an unexpected journey full of humour and discovery. The story shows how their friendship grows and their lives change over two days as they travel from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram.”
Regarding his decision to make Adios Amigo his debut as an independent director, Nahas reveals that his sole intention was to create a good film for his first outing as the director. “I first came across this script by Thankam during its early drafts, we had worked together on Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha (2019).” It was after he completed work on Khalid’s Thallumaala (2022), that Thankam approached him to listen to a full narration of the revised script. “After hearing it, I was convinced that this should be my first film as a director, even though I knew it would be a huge responsibility. I was particularly impressed by the two main characters and their interactions,” he adds.
The film has a catchy title, which is a popular Spanish phrase. “We considered many travel-related titles and were searching for something unique. That’s when we came across the phrase Adios Amigo, which means ‘Goodbye, friend’. It also suits Asif’s character, who often uses phrases like this,” reveals Nahas. Explaining his choice of lead cast, the filmmaker says, “For Asif’s character, we needed someone who was willing to fully embrace the role’s demands, including shaving his head and gaining weight to develop a tummy specifically for the character. As for Suraj ettan, I couldn’t think of anyone better suited to portray a simpleton from a village in Idukki.”
Despite the challenges of directing his first film, Nahas reflects fondly on the experience of shooting with multiple location shifts, particularly recalling their time at the Vytilla Mobility Hub. “Adios Amigo is not an easy project to execute as bulk of the portions are set outdoors in uncontrolled environments, but I still enjoyed the process. We even encountered someone who resembled Asif’s eccentric character in real life. It felt as though the character we were bringing to the screen had stepped out of the film into reality.”
The contribution of Jimshi Khalid, the film’s cinematographer, was a crucial factor in making Adios Amigo, according to the filmmaker’s unfettered admiration. “I’ve known Jimshi since my time working with Rahman ikka. From my experience over the years, I knew this film needed a skilled director of photography who could manage crowded spaces and challenging conditions—especially since we were shooting during the peak of summer. I’m a big fan of his work on Thallumaala, where I had the pleasure of working with him, and he’s incredibly easy to communicate with. He also possesses a director’s insight and understanding. I wanted to bring special attention to this aspect because not every cinematographer or cameraman becomes a complete director of photography, who collaborates closely with the filmmaker from behind the monitor.”