A group of youngsters dreamt a celluloid dream, one that was realised in the film Itihaasa . Unlike huge budget films, this was a small film made on a small budget, without a heavyweight star-cast and with some new technicians. Helmed by debutant director, Binu S. Kalady, the film had a decent run at the box-office. And even found a buyer for its satellite rights, albeit a few weeks into its release.
“Many of our peers, prospective young directors, congratulated us on the film. They told us that the film gave them the confidence to pitch stories without big stars to producers,” says Rajesh Augustine, the film’s 34-year-old producer. Binu had a story to tell and needed a producer; a common friend introduced the two to each other.
“The boy turning into a girl and the girl turning into boy thread has been done in other films and I wanted to try it in Malayalam.” The thread was converted to script by Binu’s friend, Anish Lee Ashok and another friend, Anil Narayanan wrote the dialogues. Other friends of Binu involved in the making of the film are Sinoj P. Ayyappan (camera), Jovin John (editing) and R. Vyshakh (costumes).
A voracious cinema-watcher, Binu ‘studied’ filmmaking by watching films. “I would go to regular theatres, not the multiplexes, and watch how the audience reacted to a film. There the reactions are spontaneous and see what made them applaud or jeer. That gave me an idea of what I wanted my film to be.” According to him, his observations have led him to conclude that comedy is the most enjoyed genre.
He intended to make a short film but that didn’t pan out and instead there was Itihaasa , a ‘light’ film which developed the familiar boy meets girl thread. Shine Tom Chacko and Anusree essay the main roles in the film. This 33-year-old graduate of Hindi from the Sree Sankara College, Kalady, used to be a photographer and had also made a few ad films before turning cinema.
For Rajesh, a native of Thiruvananthapuram and an avid cinema fan, employed in Saudi Arabia, who was looking to ‘get into the film industry’ this was the perfect opportunity. Encouragement came from many quarters, but one that the duo cherishes came from Mammootty. The positive feedback has the team planning its next venture, a comedy-thriller.
