Only a few scenes of Anil C. Menon’s London Bridge will be shot in Kerala. When Friday Review catches up with the cast and crew of the film, they are in the middle of shooting a sequence at the famed Aluva Manappuram. Actor Prithviraj, dressed in a crisp white dhoti with a ‘thorthu’ over his shoulders, will shortly take a dip in river Periyar to perform the rites of Vijay Das’ deceased parents. Vijay is his character in the film.
“ London Bridge is a love triangle that has been shot extensively in London,” says Anil, the director of Malsaram , Ben Johnson and Rashtram . It narrates the story of Vijay who goes to the United Kingdom on a student visa and ends up making his fortune there. Vijay runs a few ‘corner shops’ (convenience stores) in the city and also a profitable money lending enterprise in East London. But he aspires for more. In fact, he wants to be like wealthy non-resident Indian C. S. Nambiar (Pratap Pothen).
“Vijay finds himself caught between two women – Nambiar’s daughter, Pavithra (played by Andrea Jeremiah), and a Malayali nurse, Merin (Nandita). Pavithra is the scion of a vast empire and does not really care about money. Merin, meanwhile, works all hours to support her family back home,” says the director.
A few other London-based characters also play an integral part in the narrative – such as Francis (Mukesh), a solicitor, Gracy (Lena), a nurse, and her husband, Thampikuttychayan (Sunil Sugatha), who runs an online portal.
“Often, we fail to comprehend what our heart really desires. This is a feel good film, narrated in a non-linear pattern,” says scenarist Jinu Abraham.
After completing the shot, Prithviraj changes into his usual attire of jeans and a shirt and is ready for a chat. “In a way, the story is set in two different worlds. In one, there is this really ambitious young man who dreams of making it big, striving to exist in the world of the wealthy along with characters such as Nambiar and Pavithra. Then there is the world of the Malayali nurse, one that is more in touch with reality, a world filled with small dreams and big hopes. We have tried to make both worlds believable and as real as possible as these two worlds collide,” says Prithviraj. After a pause he adds: “In a lot of ways it is a break for me; a deliberate choice because my last four films were intense, of which three were quite dark! I was really looking forward to do a light-hearted, candy floss type of entertainer. After a point of time even an actor needs a break. Having said that, I feel this is a credible love story.”
The unit still has to complete a few more sequences in Kochi and Kottayam. Meanwhile, Nandita, who has acted in a few Telugu films, says: “Initially I had found it difficult to understand the psyche of the character. Merin is a peculiar small town Malayali girl who shoulders a lot of responsibilities. She is soft spoken and down to earth.”
London Bridge is being produced under the banner of Ordinary Films by Satish B. Satish. Cinematography is by Jithu Damodar and music directors are Rahul Raj and Sreevalsan J. Menon. Still photographer is Sinat Savier.
