The Mayor’s bungalow on P.T. Usha Road in Kozhikode has been transformed into the district office of a political party – the Indian National Party. The building has undergone the makeover for Rajamma@yahoo , which marks the directorial debut of Raghurama Varma.
On the premises, there are posters of people bearing a striking resemblance to certain political leaders. And yes, there are quite a few men wearing the ‘uniform’ of politicians – white shirt and dhothi, in khadi, of course. Among the crowd, Kunchacko Boban, dressed in a pista green shirt and white dhothi, and Asif Ali, in a dark blue check shirt and blue jeans, stand out.
Kunchacko is sporting a thick beard and a handlebar moustache, while Asif is clean-shaven.
Seasoned cinematographer S. Kumar is taking a close look at the bungalow’s verandah through the lens of his camera. He is soon joined by Raghurama, who has been associate director for Lal Jose for many years. After a brief discussion between the director and the cinematographer, it is finally time for action.
The scene has Kunchacko and Asif talking to a couple of small-time politicians. It’s a short scene, but the director decides to film it from various angles. The scene is okayed after a couple of takes and Raghurama is ready to talk about the film. “It’s an out-and-out comedy. It’s about two brothers, played by Kunchacko and Asif,” he says.
Kunchacko is Rajamma, while Asif plays Yahoo. The director explains why they are called so. “Kunchacko and Asif are the children of Yohannan, a Christian, and Rajamma, a Hindu. The parents decide to celebrate religious harmony by naming the elder child Michael Rajamma and the younger one Vishnu Yohannan. However, everyone calls them Rajamma and Yahoo,” says Raghurama.
He adds: “Rajamma and Yahoo are unemployed and just laze round. Their only source of income is the large bungalow they have inherited. They rent out portions of their house to three different families. The film is about situations that arise after those families start living with them,” he says.
Cut to a luxury apartment in the afternoon.
Asif and Kunchacko are joined by Renji Panicker, dressed in a cream shirt. There are some lengthy dialogues that are rehearsed and shot a few times before the director is satisfied.
He does not want to talk about the scene or the character played by Renji, as he fears that would reveal the plot. Kunchacko, though, is only happy to tell us why he chose to do the film.
“I liked my character and the script. There is a lot of humour in the film. Rajamma is a fun-loving guy; he and his brother have innovative ways of supporting themselves, such as converting their house into a makeshift bar, following the closure of bars across Kerala,” he says.
A little later, Asif is ready to speak too. “It is imperative that my character gel with that of Kunchacko’s; the film is all about the chemistry between them. And I am having a great time working with Kunchacko, an actor I have looked up to in Malayalam cinema,” he says.
The talented Anusree enacts Asif’s girl, while Nikki Gilrani plays Kunchacko’s romantic interest. The cast includes Kalabhavan Shajon, Sadiq, Mamukoya, Santhosh Keezhattoor and Parvathi Nambiar.
Lyrics penned by Rafeeq Ahamed, Anil Panachooran, Santhosh Varma and D.B. Ajith Kumar have been tuned by Bijibal, who also scores the background score. Script is by M. Sindhuraj. Rajamma@yahoo , produced by Ramesh Nambiar, Shine Augustine, Benny and T.C. Babu under the banner of MTM Wellflow Productions, will reach cinemas in November. Stills are by M.K. Mohanan.
