She was a wallflower, shy, quiet and willing to fade into the shadows. Quietly, a ray of light falls on her, banishes the shadows in her life and, as she blossoms into a confident woman, Mili decides to spread the sunshine around her to brighten the lives of others. “As soon as film editor and friend Mahesh Narayanan narrated this story to me, I knew I had to direct this story. This was my story and the story of every introvert or someone who has ever lived with a inferiority complex. However Mahesh told me that it was written for V. K. Prakash. In the meantime, I was busy shooting the Hindi version of Traffic and was supposed to embark on Motorcycle Diaries . I believe in Paulo Coelho’s quote that when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. That is what happened in this case,” says film director Rajesh Pillai.
So, after many filmy twists and turns it came to be that Mili became Rajesh’s much-awaited second film, which reaches cinemas soon.
Keen on not getting typecast as a director, Rajesh was on the lookout for a ‘different’ kind of script. “ Traffic had a pace that scorched the reels. This time, I wanted to do an intimate film with a certain pace to it. That is Mili ,” he adds.
Produced under the banner of Ordinary Films by Dr. Avinash Unnithan and Sathish, the film stars Amala Paul, Nivin Pauly, Praveena, Ambika, Sanusha, Shamna Kasim, Sai Kumar and Amol Parashar.
Rajesh says right from the time he heard the story he could only think of Amala as Mili. And when she agreed to play the role, Rajesh found his dream film taking shape. He related to the tale of Mili as he himself was a wallflower in his family of achievers. “Nancy, essayed by Praveena, is able to reach out to Mili while Nancy’s mother, Mercy enacted by Ambika, and Mili tune in effortlessly. Mili has a child-like quality in her while many elderly people have that second childhood in them. Perhaps that is why they can really get along without any problems. These women bring about a positive change in the shy Mili,” narrates Rajesh.
But that does not mean she is a paragon of virtues. Instead, Mili becomes possessive about her little circle of friends and has to overcome the kinks in her personality to find her place in the sun.
“You know, I am tongue-tied and introverted. But put me in a film set and I change. As a director, I am the captain of my ship and I can assume charge. It is the same with many such shy people. They have their comfort zones in which they excel,” Rajesh explains.
Happening star Nivin Pauly appears as Naveen, Nancy’s brother. Mili is a sunny tale that brims with the possibilities that open up when we create the opportunities that we want in our life and in others’ lives too. “I know it has touched a chord with many people because the trailer of the film is on the list of the top videos in India on YouTube. This is sure to be a landmark film in Amala’s career,” Rajesh adds.
