“It is a colourful love story,” says Ranjan Pramod, about his forthcoming film Rose Guitarinaal. The shoot for the day is at a traditional Kerala-styled house at Kumbalangi, Kochi.
The camera is focussed on Athmeeya who plays Thara, the female lead in the movie. Thara, a trainee at an airline company, is getting ready for work.
While the crew sets the camera for the next scene, Ranjan, one of the top scenarists in Mollywood, explains why he was missing from the scene for nearly six years after his maiden directorial venture, Photographer, failed to click at the box office. Ranjan had shot to fame scripting well-appreciated films such as Randam Bhavam, Meesha Madhavan, Manassinakkare, Achuvinte Amma and Naran.
“In Photographer, I attempted to narrate a story that was in me for a very long time. It turned out to be a struggle. I had treated the story in a pattern that was never done before in Malayalam. Now I believe that Photographer has been instrumental in starting the new wave in Malayalam cinema. But after the film, I wanted a break and go away somewhere,” says Ranjan.
Changing the conversation to his new film, the writer-director says that his story unfolds over three weeks during a Christmas season. Three young men, Joe (Manu), Shyam (Richard) and Binoy (Rejath Menon), are trying to woo Thara. Joe works in the marketing section of a bank, while Shyam is the chief executive officer of an airline company. Binoy, Shyam’s friend, comes from a wealthy household. Thara falls in love with one of them and the incidents that happen to her during those 21 days form the story.
“In a way, it is a ‘triangular love story’ with a youthful mood, which is not really unusual but the film has been treated in a poetic and stylised way. Let's say, this is an anthology of romance. I can't explain the relevance of the film’s title as it might spoil the suspense of the story,” adds Ranjan.
By then the scene is set for the next shot that has Thara entering her father’s room. Her father, played by Jagadeesh, is still asleep. She wakes him up and talks to him while changing her earring. A quick rehearsal is followed by a take, which is cut midway because of a technical hitch. The shot is canned in the second take.
“Unlike my usual comic roles, my character in this movie is quite different. He has had his share of romance, but it is unlike the usual romance we have seen on screen. It is great to be able to do characters of various shades,” says Jagadeesh.
Athmeeya, who has starred in Manam Kothi Paravai, a Tamil film, says, her character in Rose Guitarinaal is quite like her real self. “I too am not a very confident person,” she says.
Rose Guitarinaal is being produced by Varnachithra Big Screen and presented by Color Pencils. Pappu wields the camera. Music director is Shahabaz Aman. Stills are by Saleesh Peringottukara.
