If Mollywood could hold a mirror to itself, it would see that it was friendships that have always brought about its best. So it was in the past when actors, directors, technicians and producers banded together, in camaraderie, to bring out a revolution in filmmaking and so it continues to be in the present where a younger generation of equally enthusiastic film buffs have taken over the mantle to showcase the best of Malayalam cinema. Oru Vadakkan Selfie (OVS), which reaches theatres today, is the latest in this long legacy of films defined by friendships, reel and real.
Starring heartthrob Nivin Pauly and newcomer Manjima Mohan in the lead, OVS has been directed by debutant G. Prajith. The rest of the cast and crew, including writer-actor Vineeth Sreenivasan, cinematographer Jomon T. John, production controller-turned-producer Vinod Shornur, editor Ranjan Abraham, art director Ajay Mangad, music director Shaan Rahman, actors Aju Varghese and Neeraj Madhav… are all Prajith’s buddies and they have all been working together, either individually and collectively, since they bonded over Malarvady Arts Club , followed by Thattathin Marayathu , 1983 , Ohm Shanti Oshaana , and so on.
“Friendship, both reel and real, are the bedrock of OVS. I have been an assistant and then an associate to several top directors in Malayalam cinema since the mid-90s. In fact, it was my friends who urged me to bite the bullet and turn filmmaker, especially Vineeth, for whom I have been the associate since his debut as a filmmaker with Malarvady , and also Vinod, production controller for Vineeth’s films and several other films that I have worked on. They literally pushed me into making movie, with Vineeth handing over a script and Vinod agreeing to produce it,” says Prajith.
OVS is set in the friends’ favourite haunt, Thalassery, and tells the tale of lackadaisical Umesh (Nivin), an engineering student, who has a lot of papers to clear to complete his degree but prefers to fool around with his best friends Shaji (Aju), a partner in a garment store, and Thankaprasad (Neeraj), a bus driver along the Thalassery-Kannur route. When push comes to shove, Umesh decides to make a short film, hoping that it will open the door to Mollywood and thereby to a quick buck. That’s when Daisy, an engineer, comes into the picture. Together Umesh, Shaji and Daisy, along with Jack (Vineeth), who they meet up with along the way and who bails them out of a few tricky situations, embark on an adventure of their lives that leads to self-realisation.
“It’s a self-portrait of society; of the youth of today, especially. It’s not necessarily Umesh’s self-portrait but he does ultimately introspect on his choices. I believe friendship teaches you a lot more about life than familial relationships. My life experiences have shown me that it is friends who influence us the most and they are the ones who support us when there is an issue. And that’s what OVS is all about. The best thing about working with friends was that I could ask anything of them and vice versa and it would be done, no questions asked. Thanks to all of my friends on set, I had a very smooth debut, so much so that I didn’t feel like it was my first time as filmmaker!” he adds, with a laugh.
But that does set him up on some lofty footsteps to follow… “Yes, there is this worry that my film will not live up to the expectations of the audience. More than fear, though, I think it’s the responsibility that’s weighing me down. OVS is not an out-and-out love story but it finishes with a strong, serious viewpoint that I hope will meet the expectations of the audience and change their outlook towards life, well, at least, a bit,” says Prajith.
