A long passageway at St. Aloysius College at Elthuruthu in Thrissur is jam-packed with students who are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Mammootty on the set of Ranjith Sankar’s Varsham .
Once the crew is ready with the arrangements for the shot, Mammootty walks in and the crowd erupts in excitement. The star joins actors Mamta Mohandas and Govind Padmasoorya in front of the camera.
“I would call the film a family entertainer,” says Ranjith Sankar, who marked his passage into Mollywood with Passenger . “Venu (Mammootty) is a well-to-do businessman married to Nandini (Asha Sharath) and their son is Anand, a Plus Two student, played by Prajul. He shot to fame with his role in Spirit . Certain incidents change the course of Venu’s life,” he adds.
Ranjith had shot his previous film, Punyalan Agarbathis, in Thrissur and the local dialect was a highlight of the film. “Though we are shooting in and around Thrissur, the accent is not on the dialect. This story can happen anywhere and is not bound to a particular place,” says the director.
T. G. Ravi, Sunil Sugatha and Sudheer Karamana play important characters who become a part of Venu’s life at various junctures in the narrative. The shot that is being taken has Nandini joining the other three, as they walk along the passage. Once it is okayed by the director, the crew gets ready for some close-up shots. “Nandini is a typical homemaker, possessive about her family and likes to show off. At a certain point in her life, she faces a crisis,” says Asha. The actress is also simultaneously shooting for Papanasam , the Tamil version of Drishyam , in which she is reprising her role of a tough cop – a role that’s completely different from that of the vain Nandini. Which one is tougher? “I really don’t know. Each role is tough in its own way,” she says.
Mamta, meanwhile, is playing a doctor. “Her name is Jayasree and it is a brief role. She brings in a certain change in Venu’s perspectives towards life. She gives a new purpose to their life,” the actor.
Varsham has been produced under the banner of Play House and will hit the screens towards the end of October. Manoj Pillai is the cinematographer and Bijibal scores the music. Stills are by Sinat Savier.
