Iyobinte Pustakam, an epic saga set in the hills of Munnar, is filmmaker Amal Neerad’s new film that has been directed, filmed, and co-produced by him and Fahadh Faasil. Incidentally, Fahadh turns producer with this movie. The film that reaches theatres today has a star cast that features some of the best talents in Malayalam cinema today.
Amal is, in many ways, the ‘enfant terrible’ of Malayalam cinema. The cinematographer-director-producer and distributor has rarely pleased critics or the establishment but his movies have a cult following among the young. Stylish frames, non-linear narratives, terse lines and out-of-the-box characters create footfalls in theatres. In spite of the snide remarks about his style of filmmaking and his kind of films, there is a hardly a star in the industry who does not want to work with this maverick director who has made his brand of movies his calling card.
Set in a tumultuous period in the history of Kerala, Iyobinte Pustakam, which covers the years between 1946 and 57, unfolds the socio-political scenario of Kerala through the tale of Iyob and his three sons, Aloshi, Ivan and Dmitri (played by Fahadh, Chemban Vinod Jose and Jinu Joseph). The tale he narrates is as old as the hills – of a father and his children and the struggle of the patriarch to hold his family together in the face of several problems, many of those caused by a society in rapid transition.
During the conversation, he mentions that the landscape of the scenic hilly ranges appealed to him because of its historical significance and how modernity has not completely erased vestiges of a bygone era in Munnar.
“Munnar is a place that is close to my heart. Its mosaic of cultures, peoples, languages and lifestyles makes it a perfect ambience for a story that fuses seamlessly many distinctive chapters in the socio-political and economic transformation of Kerala. A series of perfectly preserved and reproduced photographs from 1900 to the fifties inspired me to think of a film set in those times. That was when I came across Gopan Chidambaram’s story (with dialogues by Syam Pushkaran). As I mentioned the project to Fahadh, a good friend, he offered to co-produce the film with me. I have never made a film on such a large canvas and we decided to make it for the pain and the gain. Pain was there, gain…, let’s see,” laughs Amal.
After months of backbreaking work, his film has just been censored without any problems and the joy is evident as he talks to Friday Review in Thiruvananthapuram.
Insisting there is nothing overtly Biblical about the theme of Iyobinte Pustakam, he, however, adds with a smile that the multi-layered film is about Iyob (Lal) and his family. “There might be some references to the Book of Job of the Old Testament but the story is certainly not of the Biblical Job,” drawls Amal.
Jayasurya, T.G. Ravi and Sreejith Ravi play major roles in the film.
Padmapriya, Isha Sharvani, Lena, Reenu Mathews and Sarita Kuku play the main female characters. “Each woman has an important role; they play characters who are as sturdy and tough as any Amal Neerad hero,” says Amal, eyes twinkling behind his thick glasses.
He points out that the period in which he tells his tale is a time when stalwarts like Akkamma Cherian and Rosamma Punnoose were making waves as political leaders in their own right. It was also the time when there were three couples in the first elected Communist government in Kerala. “I wanted a new generation to know about them and the time they lived in. My films are made for a generation who are weaned on hi-tech video games and are exposed to the best that the world has to offer. Many decades ago, film buffs in Kerala got to watch world cinema during film fetes but those festivals were curated and so our tastes, in a way, was manufactured. But youngsters today have the luxury of watching what they want, when and where. Their tastes are shaped by their own peer group and their inclinations. I hope they will see this film to watch a slice of time before they or even their parents were born,” says Amal.
Aloshi, Iyob’s son and a British naval officer, returns to Kerala after the Royal Indian Naval mutiny on February 18, 1946… “It is his story and also that of each of the characters in the film…,” says Amal before clamming up with a smile and adding: “Watch the film!”
Music composed by newcomers Neha S. Nair and Yakson Gary Pereira enhances the beauty of the visual scenic frames that have been included in the trailer. Amal says giving a break to talented youngsters is his way of taking on a system that took its own time before giving trained newcomers like him a chance to find a foothold in Mollywood.
“As a student in the Institute (Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute), I was waiting for an opportunity to work in Malayalam cinema. However, I did not get any significant work till I won my credits in Mumbai. Thanks to Ram Gopal Verma, many rank newcomers are now able to make films,” says Amal.
He adds that it is always youngsters, especially in their teens who call him up to gush about his films. It is tough to catch the attention of a media savvy generation and Amal avers that he plans to keep doing it that way because “you never know when that spark might die out in you.”
Short takes
* My movies don’t have a message. When there is a telephone and so many apps to send a message, why resort to a film to send a message.
* Critics wrote off Bachelor Party as a dud but its commercial success is what is sustaining me as a producer.
* Anwar Rasheed and I had turned distributors with Bangalore Days and had exhibited it in other states with sub-titles. We plan to do the same with Iyobinte Pustakam .
* One of my favourite directors is Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano.
* I make films with the enthusiasm of a film buff who is discovering the magic of cinema.
