One of the brightest directors in Malayalam cinema, Arun’s fourth directorial venture is a psychological thriller involving twins and a police officer. Writer-actor Murali Gopy plays the twins Harinarayanan and Ravinarayanan – a doctor and an architect – and Fahadh Faasil essays Yusuf Marikar, a man in khaki for the first time in his career.
“But there are no guns or bombs in this film. Fahadh suspects foul play and is on the trail of a mystery that he wants to unravel. Scripted by Jeyamohan, the film pulls the viewer into the mind game on screen. Each of us comes to see a movie with our own subtexts and perspectives and so the challenge is to see if we have been able to connect with the viewer. It is subjective and that is why there are so many views on the same film,” says Arun.
He adds that it is the narrative, the situations and the characters themselves who accentuate the suspense in the film. Murali’s lean look for the role evokes praise from the director himself who says that such preparation on the part of an actor is what makes an actor stands out.
For the second time, Shyamaprasad steps in front of the camera to play a psychiatrist, Dr. Cherian, in the film. Honey Rose and Shruthy Ramakrishnan play the female leads. Stand-up comedian Ashwin Mathew and Tamil director Azhakar Perumal also have significant roles in the jigsaw puzzle of a mystery that Fahadh tries to piece together. Incidentally, Azhakar was Jeyamohan’s choice for the role. Produced by Rakesh Bahuleyan, the music has been scored by Gopi Sundar.
“Shot in Bangalore, Mysore and Palakkad, 1 By Two takes the viewer into a labyrinth of mysteries and keeps him on the edge till the last scene,” adds the director.
Is he nervous about the two other thrillers in the race? “Not really, every film has its own viewer and there is space for all,” he maintains.
Arun says he is eager to know the viewers’ reactions with the anticipation of a student who is awaiting his exam results. “There is nervousness and there is the thrill of the anticipation because, for me, each film is like my first one,” he says.
Well, one thing is for sure, this is one team that does not believe in doing anything by halves.
