Madhu Kaithapram, who won the National award for the best debut director for Ekantham , is focussing on the life of Malayalis in Muscat in his film Vellivelichathil .
“Shot completely in Muscat., the film’s visuals will offer a fresh experience for the Malayali viewer,” says Madhu about the film that reaches cinemas today.
Vellivelichathil is the story of the Malayali diaspora in Muscat. “There are several characters in the film who represent various aspects of the Malayalis’ life in ‘the Gulf’. The protagonist is Upendran, a top executive in a British company in the country,” says the director. Television anchor John Brittas plays Upendran.
“While watching him on television, I felt he would be ideal for the role of Upendran. Once he was convinced about the character, he gladly accepted the challenge,” says Madhu. Iniya plays the female lead. “She is a dancer at a bar where Upendran, who is separated from his wife (Geeta Poduval), is a regular visitor. He falls in love with her dance, and then her,” says Madhu.
Other characters in the film include an unemployed youth (Sudheer Karamana), a delivery boy (Suraj Venjaramoodu), a happily married man (Lalu Alex) and a bar manager (Raveendran). “All these characters don’t interact much with each other until the climax. The film is about how coincidences bring people together,” says Madhu.
Novelist C.V. Balakrishnan has written the script, based on one of his short stories. “I had read the story and found the possibility of a film. Producer Ramesh Nambiar also liked the concept and that is how the film took off,” says Madhu.
He adds that the film’s songs rendered by Chithra and Hariharan have already been well received. “Ever since the videos were released on YouTube, the response has been good. Kaithapram has written the lyrics, and his son Deepankuran has tuned them,” says the director.
Bijibal has scored the background music and Seenu Sidharth has cranked the camera.
