M. Padmakumar has made a name for himself with a clutch of high-on-action, and sometimes serious, films such as Vaasthavam, Shikar, Vargam, Parunthu and D Company . So when he decides to make a comedy, PolyTechnic , it is bound to raise eyebrows. “I may have been associated with some serious films but I do appreciate good comedy. I wanted to make a different film,” he says in an interview over the telephone.
The Kunchacko Boban-Bhavana starrer is slated for release this week. “This film is not a campus film as the title might suggest. It is about a local political activist Pauly (Kunchacko), his childhood sweetheart Ashwathy (Bhavana), Ashwathy’s father, Sukumaran Nair (Vijayaraghavan), and his friends. Sukumaran Nair and Pauly are believers of opposing political ideologies.” Bhavana dons a cop’s uniform (sub-inspector) in the film. Sukumaran Nair’s opposition to the romance also plays a prominent part in the film and adds to the humour. The film tells of Pauly’s condition when he is confronted with that ultimate test – life.
The film has been scripted by Nishad Koya who had scripted Ordinary . PolyTechnic may be Padmakumar’s first attempt at comedy but he is confident of his team, which includes actors such as Aju Varghese, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Niyas Backer. “Nishad as scenarist and Kunchacko, Aju and the others are a group that has handled humour well in the past so I am on firm ground.”
Pauly’s father, an Army man, dies in action and he uses the compensation to buy a defunct factory, Dakshayani Biscuits. For the average cinema-goer expectations are bound to rise with the mention of Dakshayani Biscuits. The factory appeared in the Mohanlal-Urvashi starrer Midhunam (1993). There might be a resonance of Midhunam but Padmakumar clarifies: “We have just used the name; the association with the original ends there.”
The factory in hand, Pauly is faced with problems as he tries to start the business. “It is about what happens when he gets down to the business of life,” he adds.
As a film maker, Padmakumar’s work has, creative license apart, dealt with contemporary issues. This film may not address any one or a bunch of issues but what it does, according to him, is look at the path of a young man’s life in his attempt to find employment for himself and to create opportunities for those around him.
Cinematography is by Pramod Pillai, lyrics by Rajeev Nair and music by Gopi Sundar.
