It was after the success of his maiden venture, ‘Pappi Appacha,' that writer-director Mamas went on a search for nine new actors for his next film, ‘Cinema Company,' the shooting of which is currently under way in Kochi. There were 17,000 entries from which 350 were called for an audition to select the final nine.
“We knew what we were looking for. Once we had finalised the people who we thought would fit the bill, we tested their acting skills. Only then were they cast in the movie. It was not an easy process; it took us two months, but I am happy with the group we have selected,” says Mamas at the location of the day for ‘Cinema Company,' a house at Panayappilly near Fort Kochi.
The story, says Mamas, is about cinema, friendship and dreams. “The movie begins with four friends, who are passionate about movies. They come from various backgrounds, do different jobs for a living and come together to share their dreams. Although the foursome is talented, they have never really thought of doing a film. However, when they do decide to do one, they find the going tough. The other five are connected to the four in various ways and have important roles to play in the story,” he explains.
Paul (Basil), Fazal (Badri), Panicker (Sanjeev) and Paru (Sruthi) are the four friends who come together to make the movie. Rajeev (Nithin), Deepika (Sanam), Reena (Swasika), Roshni (Lakshmi Nair) and Fasna (Shibila) are the other new faces in the movie.
With a young crowd in the lead, the energy level on the set is indeed electrifying. The house at Fort Kochi is where Paru is staying as a paying guest. Cinematographer Jibu Jacob goes up on the crane to get an aerial shot.
“Panicker comes from a rich background and wants to become a director,” says Sanjeev, an architect, who has always harboured dreams of being an actor. Basil, who was working in advertising before deciding to give cinema a shot, plays Paul, a banker who dreams of becoming a star; Badri plays Fazal, a writer who comes from a modest background. Sruthi, an event manager, dons the role of Paru, a part-time music teacher. The group of newcomers had to undergo a grooming session conducted by filmmakers. “They helped us delve into our characters. The beauty of ‘Cinema Company' is that all the nine characters in the movie have well-etched roles,” say the group.
‘Cinema Company' is being produced jointly by Whitesands Media and Mamasian Movies. The cast includes Lalu Alex, Baburaj, Kochupreman, T.P. Madhavan and Krishna. Lyrics by Rafeeq Ahmad and Santhosh Varma have been set to music by Alphons. Still photographer is Hasif.
