It is well past 11 p.m. on a scorching Saturday in Kozhikode. But the night is still young at a defunct tile factory on the outskirts of the city, as director Nissar, along with his crew, is busy canning scenes of ‘Platform No. 1.' And Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff is the centre of attraction.
Jackie, Shwetha Menon and Safaruddin Shah, the villain who debuted in Siddique's ‘Bollywood,' are preparing for their next scene. The tile factory has been turned, rather well by art director Ramesh Kadambhazhipuram, into a bar resembling that of the 1980s, where Shwetha will be performing a song.
Dressed in a lime green dress with white polka dots, Swetha's hair is swept into a bouffant. Large silver hoops dangle from her ears. “I have done my own make-up for this scene. I want a 70's kind of look for this dance sequence,” she explains.
Playing a club dancer
Shwetha says her role in the movie is a meaty one. “I play a club dancer who has to support her family. This part of the story that happened some 20 years ago is shown as a flashback. I also play her current age and thus sport an aged look in several scenes,” she says before returning to face the camera. A peppy song, composed by Thej Mervin and rendered by Sithara Krishnakumar, plays in the background. Shwetha imitates the steps shown to her by choreographer Cool Jayanth. Soon, Jackie joins her on stage, with a guitar. Director Nissar and cinematographer James Christopher are happy with the scene and they move on to the next shot.
Jackie, who sports a look that is reminiscent of the one he had in Subhash Ghai's ‘Hero,' which launched him as the dashing hero nearly three decades ago, is excited about playing a protagonist in Malayalam cinema.
“I have acted in a Malayalam movie called ‘Athishayan,' but this is a much bigger and better role than that. I have always been in awe of the talents in Malayalam cinema; you have so many gifted actors and technicians here. I decided to do this film because I play an interesting character who goes through different periods in life,” says Jackie.
Jackie plays Mahendran, a musician who gets punished for a crime he didn't commit. He is paired opposite Shwetha.
Shah, who also produces the film under the banner of Shah Productions, plays Gopinath, a shady character who gets Mahendran into trouble.
“I decided to produce the film because I liked its plot, which has so much twists and turns,” says Shah.
Dhanya Mary Varghese and newcomer Haneesh Khani play the other main characters. Their love story too is filled with suspense.
“The film takes off at a railway station where the characters of Jackie and Haneesh meet. The strangers end up telling each other their own stories and realise they have something in common. The film has a lot of action and is fast-paced,” says the director.
The film also stars Jagathy Sreekumar, Innocent, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Guinness Pakru and Abu Salim. Stills are by Haneefa Fashion. ‘Platform No. 1' will reach cinemas in May.
