'Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha,' is based on
T.P. Rajeevan's novel of the same name.
Gem of a story: Ranjith, Mammootty and Gouri Munjal
on the sets of 'Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha.'
The monsoon, which has been lashing Malabar for over a fortnight now,
shows no sign of easing off. But the show has to go on in tinsel town.
So an unperturbed Ranjith makes changes in his shoot for 'Paleri
Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathi
nte Katha,' his first film after the critically acclaimed 'Thirakkatha.'
"Ideally I would have loved to shoot the portion we are filming now
on a bright day and the flashback in the rain, but now most of the film
could be against the backdrop of the monsoon, which might look good on
screen," Ranjith says.
It did look interesting on the monitor. A bespectacled Mammootty and
a simply attired Gouri Munjal are joined by Hareendranath Eyyad, one of
the 40 debutants Ranjith is introducing to Malayalam cinema in this
film.
Acting workshop
The director had chosen these artistes after a prolonged camp for theatre persons that was conducted in Kozhikode.
"I feel that Malayalam cinema could do with more talented character
artistes. And I needed fresh faces to portray some key characters in
'Paleri Maniyam'; I didn't want to cast established film actors because
viewers might have preconceived notions about the kind of character
he/she was portraying," explains Ranjith.
"And the new artistes – only a few of them have begun working in the
film – have lived up to my expectations. They seem to have benefited
from the excellent workshop by leading actors and directors in
Malayalam cinema," adds the director.
Hareendranath seems a little nervous in front of the camera. He
needs to be reminded several times by associate director Shankar
Ramakrishnan about intonation and pauses in his dialogues in the scene
with Mammootty and Gouri.
Mammootty plays Haridas, a Delhi-based private detective who becomes
curious about a murder of a young woman in Paleri, a village near
Kozhikode, and decides to investigate it, more than 50 years after the
crime was committed.
Gouri who is making her debut in Malayalam cinema after starring in
films in other South Indian languages (notably 'Bunny' in Telugu),
plays Sarayu Sharma, a criminologist who assists Haridas in his
investigations.
Ranjith decides to shoot a scene in a hotel in the heart of
Kozhikode city. The action takes place in the bar. Haridas is trying to
extract information from Pallippuram, whose play was being staged on
the night the woman, Manikyam, was murdered in the village, five
decades ago. The scene is shot from several angles; there is also a
round trolley shot. Ranjith calls 'cut' only after a few takes.
And he tells you how 'Paleri Manikyam – Oru Pathira
Kolapathakathinte Katha' was born: "The film is based on T.P.
Rajeevan's novel, by the same name, which was serialised in a Malayalam
weekly. I was fascinated by the novel's theme, which is based on a true
incident that happened shortly before the first ministry of Kerala was
sworn in. After discussions with Rajeevan, I made a few changes while
writing the script. Initially, my plan was to make the film with a cast
of newcomers, but during a telephone conversation, Mammootty said he
would do the film, when I mentioned the commercial benefits of having a
mainstream star to play the male lead."
Debutante Mythili is Manikyam. The cast includes Shwetha Menon,
Srinivasan, Siddique and Suresh Krishna. Manoj Pillai cranks the
camera. Stills are by Paul Bathery.
'Paleri Manikyam…,' which will reach cinemas in November, is being
produced by Maha Subair and A.V. Anoop, under the banners of
Varnachithra Big Screen and A.V.A. Productions.
"Like most producers I too have always wanted to make films that do
well at the box office, but I have also tried to ensure that my films
boast artistic values as well. I am proud of films such as
'Thirakkatha,' 'Manassinakkare,' and 'Meesa Madhavan,'" says Subair.
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