This story is from March 26, 2015

Mustafa’s performance took Ain to a new level

Mustafa’s performance took Ain to a new level
In Arabic, Ain stands for eyes. When he christened his latest film thus, director Sidharth Siva wanted to hold a mirror to a simple reality — we often fail to grasp the depth and truths behind what we see with our naked eyes, and the visuals pass, sans impact. Ain fetched him the National Award for the Best Malayalam movie this year and it’s a second for the filmmaker, after 101 Chodyangal in 2013.
The director says he doesn’t want to tag his movie — which explores the intricacies of human minds through a common man named Maanu — as one that belongs to any specific genre.
“I would say Ain is a film sans genre, and it’s just a simple story that was developed from a thread formed in my mind. After discussing it with my friends, it took shape in the present form, that’s all,” Sidharth explains. About the film’s protagonist and his simplicity quotient, the director says, “In Malabar region, most families have at least one member named Maanu. It is quite common like the name Unni, and Maanus will often have other names too.”
Its lead actor Mustafa also bagged the jury’s special mention for his performance in the movie. And Sidharth says, Mustafa’s face dawned in his mind the moment the character was conceived. “He is a great friend of mine and a wonderful actor, whom not many have used to his full potential. When I told him about Maanu, Mustafa was quite thrilled about portraying him on screen. I allow actors to improvise. It’s Mustafa’s performance and improvisations that took the role to a whole new level in Ain.”
While Sidharth wouldn’t say he expected the award, he says he honestly wished for it. “It’s not because I can bag recognition, but will give the film and the whole team a bit of attention,” he says. Ain also has Rachana Narayanankutty, actor Sudheesh and his dad Sudhakaran and a few theatre artistes in lead roles. Sidharth is also planning to release the film in a month’s time.
After 101 Chodyangal, Sahir and Ain, Sidharth’s next will be a commercial film. “It will be a humour based game movie. I have not zeroed in on the actors yet, but I am planning to announce it around May or June,” the director signs off.
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