After all the ebbs and flows of a dramatic 2024, all eyes are now on how Malayalam cinema starts rolling this year. Tovino Thomas will officially kick off proceedings today with Identity, a thriller, which sees him reuniting with Forensic directors Akhil Paul and Anas Khan.
Also starring Trisha and Vinay Rai in key roles, the film managed to garner some much-needed pre-release attention with its intriguing trailer. Ahead of the release, we caught up with Akhil Paul, one of the film’s directors for a quick chat. Though visibly unwell, Akhil was in high spirits while sharing his eventful journey with Identity, from its conception to execution.
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Is it release pressure that’s getting the better of you?
No, this is just regular fever (laughs). I normally don’t get anxious before release as I’m confident about my craft and the effort put in. I can’t claim Identity will become a massive success, but I know I’ve given my best for it and that’s all I can do.
Tovino had recently shared that he got the full-fledged script of Identity, with shot divisions marked in it, almost a year before the shoot commenced. How beneficial has this methodical approach been?
I generally prefer things to be organised, but it might not always fall in place. During Forensic, we had only 53 days for pre-production, but we still worked to the best of our potential. For Identity, since the film explores terrains that the Malayali audience isn’t very familiar with, Anas (Khan) and I spent a whole year on pre-production before taking it to other technicians. As directors, we needed proper clarity to convince others of our vision. During this one year, we made a complete storyboard with all the shot divisions and angles. We then made a previs of the crucial final 40 minutes of the film. Later, when the technicians joined, they enhanced it with their inputs and made it all the more polished. So I think this methodical approach has helped us better our craft.
There’s a lot of hype about the last 40 minutes of the film...
We did extensive planning for these portions as they were shot in massive sets. Even the slightest of delays could have resulted in the budget flaring up. I think our biggest achievement is that we pulled it off exactly how we intended without any compromise.
The aircraft fight sequence shown in the trailer has created quite a buzz...
We hired some of India’s best technicians to work on these portions as we didn’t want it to have the look and feel of a usual Malayalam film. We got people from Mumbai to work on building the sets and practical effects. For the action choreography, we got Yannick Ben, known for his work in Jawan, Citadel: Honey Bunny, and Maveeran. He was very excited when we approached him with the idea of a fight sequence within a private jet.
We showed him our previs and explained our requirements. Our version had several cuts, but he made it better by executing it with long takes. Single-take shots are time-consuming and risky, but we pulled it off without any accidents or injuries to anyone. Yannick, DOP Akhil Geroge, editor Chaman Chakko, and the VFX team Mindstein Studios worked tirelessly to deliver a better version of how we originally envisioned the sequence.
You spoke about Identity exploring new terrains. Forensic also had some fresh ideas like double DNA, child serial killers, etc. Is that what excites you the most as a filmmaker?
Yes, I’m always keen on coming up with new content to interest the audience. For Identity, our excitement was in showing the lesser-known details of a sketch artist’s working process. We interacted with professionals for research, which helped us arrive at a storyline. We then developed a full-fledged screenplay without discussing it with anyone as we feel putting together research material alone would make it look like a documentary sans any entertainment value. It was only after we finished writing that we consulted experts to see if there were any inaccuracies and space for improvising.
But how did you zero in on a film about a sketch artist?
We had earlier worked on another story in which a sketch artist had a prominent role. During that time itself, we sensed a potential in that character. When the originally planned script didn’t materialise, we decided to pursue the idea of a film about a sketch artist. This was during the pandemic when the general aim was to make small-scale films with limited resources, but then, we both were thinking of the biggest film that we could probably do. We interacted closely with a veteran sketch artist who has worked in almost 250 cases, of which 200 were solved. Based on our interactions, we finalised the basic idea in January 2021 and worked on the script for the next one year.
Could you tell us about your collaboration with Anas Khan, who seems to be media shy and prefers being off the spotlight?
It’s not like that (laughs). Some of it happens accidentally, like the root canal procedure he was advised right at the time of Identity’s release. But it’s also true that we both are completely different characters. He is very calm and composed, whereas I’m more aggressive and want things to be done as planned. We’ve known each other right from our engineering days in 2008 and ever since then, cinema has been our binding factor.
How do you both navigate creative conflicts?
We rarely have such conflicts as we’re good friends, who also share similar tastes in films. Even while we’re not working on something, we continue to be in touch and discuss new ideas. We proceed with an idea only if we both are equally excited by it. It’s also important that we retain that excitement throughout the process. Our scripting process involves combining the scenes written by both of us. There’ll be multiple drafts for each scene, from which we’ll discuss and finalise one. It’s a purely collaborative process without any room for ego.
Tovino is another longtime collaborator with whom you’ve worked from your debut film 7th Day. The actor has lately been stressing a lot about prepping up for each character. In Identity’s trailer, we see Tovino with very refined and controlled body language...
I’m proud of his remarkable transformation as an actor. As part of prep for Identity, we spent four days in Pondicherry to create a map and structure for his character. We designed his body language, including the movement of his head, hands, and walking style. In fact, Tovi rehearsed five different styles of walking, before finalising one. Identity being a purely commercial cinema, we needed a certain swag for the character.
Even while fighting, Tovi had to ensure his hand movements were precise. It was tough to maintain that continuity, but he loves such challenges. I’ve also noticed how he focuses a lot on attention to minute details. In this film, his character has OCD, so he used to ensure all the props were correctly in place before the shot. Such contributions from an actor add immense value to the film. Tovi also excels with his voice modulations and minor adjustments in dubbing.
You also have some other big names in the cast, including Trisha, Vinay Rai, Mandira Bedi...
Since Identity is a big canvas film, it demands actors with star value. We approached Trisha when she was busy with Leo’s Kashmir schedule. She liked the script and immediately allotted 45 days for us. Similarly, Vinay Rai, fresh from the massive success of Hanu-Man, also believed in our vision and set aside 70 days. Mandira Bedi has a comparatively lesser screen time as her character is a lead-up to the second part. Apart from that, Aju Varghese and Shammy Thilakan have also done interesting roles.
Was Identity originally conceived with a sequel?
Yes, we conceived it as a three-part series, with Mandira Bedi’s character and two others continuing in the future installments as well. But since we also wanted the audience to have a complete experience with Identity, there won’t be any cliffhangers.