KOZHIKODE:While foraying into the Malayalam movie industry as an actor, he had never dreamt that he would become a publicity designer for the same. Aneesh Gopal, hailing from Kozhikode, who debuted with the role of Vikatan in the Sreenath Rajendran directed film ‘Second Show’, is now one of the busiest poster designers in Mollywood. He is the man behind the poster designing studios named Yellowtooth.
“It was screen writer Vini Viswa Lal who introduced me to director Sreenath, while they were camping in Kozhikode in connection with the pre-production of ‘Second Show.’ I became part of the camp, which comprises Vini, Sreenath, Sunny Wayne, Vijith, Praveen Prabharam, Fellini and others who were assigned several roles in the movie. As I was part of the theatre during school days, Sree offered me the role of Vikatan, a friend of the protagonist who has a negative shade,” he says.
It was during a leisure time that he attempted to make a dummy poster of the movie with the still of Yamaha RX 100, as he had got training in graphic designing. “In fact, that act was just for a time pass. But after they saw my work, Sree and Vini appreciated me and asked me to do the whole poster work of the movie,” says Aneesh.
He got his second assignment as a designer even before the release of his debut work. “Lyricist Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri’s ‘Mazhavillinattam Vare’ was my second work as a publicity designer. That work came to me amid the pre-production work of ‘Second Show’. It was during the music composing session of the movie that he asked me to work for his debut venture as director,” the designer says.
Though the first two movies were done under his name, it was later that he started his own design studio named Yellowtooth in Kochi. ‘Rebecca Uthup Kizhakkemala,’ directed by Sunder Das and starred by Ann Augustine, was the debut movie of Yellowtooth.
Later, in 2013, Marikar Films approached Yellowtooth for their three consecutive movies that started with the V K Prakash directed suspense thriller ‘Thank You’. Sreenath Rajendran’s Mohanlal starrer ‘Koothara’ and Alby’s Sunny Wayne movie ‘Starring Pournami’ were the other flicks.
“Thank You’ was the very first movie for which I designed for Marikkar. It was after seeing my works for that movie that director Amal Neerad called me to work on the posters of his production house’s anthology film ‘Anchu Sundarikal’,” he says. Amal Neerad, Anwar Rasheed, Ashique Abu, Sameer Thahir and Shyju Khalid were the directors who worked in that movie.
Aneesh says that the first look poster he designed for ‘Koothara’ with the still of Mohanlal standing on a boat with lantern in hand, is the most discussed and popular poster from Yellowtooth. “That poster was nominated in the International Movie Poster Award for the best poster designing. The US website had put my work in its page. It is much more than an award for a beginner like me,” he says.
The latest works from the designer are ‘Iyobinte Pusthakam,’ directed by Amal Neerad and Roopesh Pithambaran’s ‘You Too Brutus’.
Amid the busy schedule he finds time for his another passion - acting. ‘Koothara’ was his second outing after ‘Second Show.’ The character named ‘Kalikaaran’ has garnered him good appreciation from the movie buffs.
Prithviraj’s ‘Ennu Ninte Moideen,’ Narain’s ‘Hallelujah’ and Sunny Wayne’s ‘Appavum Veenjum’ are his upcoming movies as a designer. ‘Ennu Ninte Moideen’ and ‘Hallelujah’ are his next two outings as actor. Praveen Prabharam’s ‘Villain’, the yet-to-be-named movies of Fellini T P, Sreeenath Rajendran, Roopesh Pithambaran, Vini Viswa Lal, Vishnu Aravind, Shaz Shabeer and Sunder Padmanabhan are the movies in his kitty as a designer.
Yellowtooth is at present functioning in Kozhikode.