Flights of romance

Alagappan is confident that his maiden directorial venture Pattom Pole will soar high.

October 10, 2013 04:27 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 12:15 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

In a new role: Film director Alagappan.

In a new role: Film director Alagappan.

“Once a kite is airborne, it is never still. To ensure that the kite flies high and does not nosedive, one has to control it. You have to know when to reel it in and when to let loose. Our mind and emotions are similar to a kite. Always restless, always changing, but we have to learn to control both to live in the world. My film Pattam Pole is about the restless mind and see-sawing emotions of two immature youngsters who fall in love and are trying to find their own space,” says cinematographer-turned-director Alagappan about the significance of the title of his maiden venture as a director.

Starring Dulquer Salmaan and debutante Malavika Mohan, the film has been nurtured by Alagappan for two and a half years. His story and idea found many takers and producer Carlton Karunakaran readily agreed to put his money for the film. But the busy cinematographer wanted to finish all his projects for other filmmakers before he donned the director’s cap. In the meantime, he tightened his script and penned the dialogues in Tamil while Gireesh Kumar who wrote the scripts took care of the parts in Malayalam.

Pattam Pole is based on a real story and I know the two youngsters we are talking about in the film. Today, on one hand, many youngsters are scared of taking decisions, but, on the other, they can be headstrong too. Their views and decisions keep changing every single minute. Kartik and Riya are two such youngsters who are not sure of their decisions and keep wavering. While Karthik hails from Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, Riya is from Kuttanad in Kerala,” narrates Alagappan.

However, he is quick to add that their belonging to different communities or religions is not the premise of the story. Rather, it is a romance that tells the tale of a modern, confused couple. The movie has been shot in Kumbakonam and Kuttanad.

Favourite location

“My favourite locale is Kuttanad. I have shot many films in Alappuzha and each time, the scenic charm of the place never fails to move. This time I was there in the director’s chair,” says the filmmaker who adds that there was absolutely no conflict between Alagappan the cinematographer and Alagapan, the film director.

“I did not allow that to happen,” he says with a smile. He confesses that he did check the frames now and then but the filming was done by his assistant Selva Kumar.

Anoop Menon appears as the proprietor of an event management company that Dulquer joins; Archana Kavi’s character is an employee in the company.

Music is an important component of a romantic flick and Pattom Pole tunes in with some melodious numbers by M. Jayachandran that also take the narrative forward.

AND IN THE LEAD ARE…

“I knew that Dulquer was the actor for Karthik the minute I saw his film Second Show . His subtle style and the way he speaks with his eyes are signs of a good actor. When he agreed to act in my film, I decided to wait for him as he takes up only one assignment at a time. The wait was worth it because he has surpassed my expectations as Karthik,” says the delighted filmmaker.

When Dulquer came to know about Alagappan’s search for a heroine, he suggested the name of Malavika Mohan. Daughter of cinematographer K.U. Mohanan, Malavika is a resident of Mumbai. “As soon as I saw her pics, I recognised Riya in her. It was after she was cast that she came for an audition. She impressed us all with her hard work and intelligence,” he adds.

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