Bank Road is one of the busiest streets in Kozhikode and a multistoried building there is crowded on a warm Sunday morning. Many youngsters frequent a popular fast food joint.
A few floors above, in a coffee shop, Ranjith is busy shooting Njaan , his latest film. Inside the snazzy coffee shop are actors Anumol, Joy Mathew, Saiju Kurup, Suresh Krishna, Muthumani, Chinnu Kuruvilla and Hareesh Peradi. They are all seated around a table, sipping coffee.
Ranjith gives them directions and turns his attention to Dulquer Salmaan, who is dressed in blue jeans and a maroon shirt. He is carrying a couple of bags on his shoulders. Ranjith explains the scene. “Dulquer is playing an IT professional who is also a playwright. These men and women, all his friends, are theatre activists. This is their hangout. This scene has Dulquer going on a journey and he is bidding adieu to his friends,” explains the director.
The scene is completed without many retakes. There is some time before everything is ready for the next shot, so Ranjith sits down to talk more about the film. “This movie is an adaptation of T.P. Rajeevan's novel, K.T.N. Kottoor Ezuthum Jeevithavum . Although it was first serialised in a magazine, I had read it when it was released as a book. I felt the novel had great potential to be made into a film.”
Rajeevan's debut novel Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha was also turned into a movie by Ranjith.
“I was fascinated by the hero of the novel, K.T.N. Kottoor, or Narayanan. He is a remarkable man. He is a non-conformist. He writes novels and articles, but is a man most difficult to understand. He is associated with the national movement, but he cannot conform to politics, be it that of the Congress or the Communists. Like Paleri Mankiyam... this too is a period film, about rural life in Malabar of the Thirties and Forties,” says Ranjith.
Shruthy Ramachandran makes her debut in the film. “Anumol too plays a strong female character,” he adds.
Dulquer, who is taking a break, says he is excited about his character. “This is the most challenging role of my career, totally different from anything I have done in cinema till now,” he says.
Manoj Pillai is the cinematographer. Stills are by Paul Bathery. Njaan , produced by P.M. Sasidharan, Jaiswin and Ranjith himself under the banner of Gold Coin Motion Pictures, will reach cinemas in August.
