Amal Neerad does not believe in half measures. When he is in the driver’s seat, he goes that extra mile to ensure that his films become a memorable experience for the viewer. His critics might crib that his movies are all style and no substance but his fans do love that substantial, stylistic visual language.
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So there was great curiosity and anticipation when reports came in that Amal was shooting portions of his new film, a Dulquer Salmaan-starrer, in Mexico. It was perhaps the first Malayalam flick to be shot in Mexico. That was in 2015. The film, piquantly titled Comrade in America (CIA), which was in the making for nearly two years, reached cinemas on Friday.
One part of CIA unfolds in lush Kerala while the other takes place in the harsh, brown desertscapes of Mexico and the United States. Amal smiles mysteriously when asked about the Mexican adventure. Initially, all he says is that the film took so long because visas to the US took more than six months to come through. However, the delay makes it the third film releasing this year that celebrates the Left movement in Kerala. Amal clarifies that CIA should have been released in 2016, and that the film is not just yet another movie raising a toast to the Left movement.
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“The film is about the coming of age of Aji Mathew, an idealistic youngster from Pala who reveres Che Guevera; a young man who grew up reading the books in a library in his village and an ardent Leftist. His reading shapes his world views and politics,” explains Amal.
The burly cinematographer-turned filmmaker says the movie is also his way of paying tribute to all those youngsters in Kerala’s small towns and villages who are inspired by dreams of a brave new world. He adds that while there is much to be criticised in Kerala, the fact remains that it is one of the few places in the world where the common man takes an active interest in politics and world affairs. “Where else will you find people from all walks of life discussing Syria, contemporary issues and US president Trump’s policies so passionately in corner shops, barber salons and eateries.
“Jibes in our films about the collapse of the USSR and socialist Poland used to hit home and it did hurt. CIA is my way of paying homage to many youngsters whose still think red is the colour of idealism,” he says.
Aji, he explains, is one such youngster. He meets an NRI woman Sarah Mary, essayed by newcomer Karthika Muralidharan, and falls for her. Many contradictions in the attitudes of the two youngsters don’t erase their mutual attraction. When she leaves for the US, Aji decides to follow her and win her hand. “Watch to see how far he will go to win her. In one way, it is a love story but there is a political angle too,” he adds with a broad smile.
In fact, Amal is all smiles when he sits down for a no-holds-barred tete-a-tete at Vivanta by Taj, Thycaud. The film had been censored without any cuts and Amal, who is also producer of the film, says he has no reasons to complain about the way the film has shaped up.
It is his second work with Dulquer. The two had worked together in Kullante Bharya , one of the five films in the anthology 5 Sundarikal . “I was impressed with his commitment to work. During the shoot, I did not find the time to explain how his character of a wheelchair-bound man had to be etched on screen. So I got a doctor to explain how a person’s life changes when he suffers a fracture. Later, Dulquer told me that it was like his worst nightmare coming true as the actor enjoys driving and physical activities. The doctor told Dulquer how a disabled man would move and behave and he got it right,” says Amal.
He says the same quest for perfection was evident when Dulquer stepped into the skin of Aji. Since Dulquer’s dad, Mammootty, hails from Chembu, all that the actor had to do was to tap memories of his stays in Chembu to get the right accent for Aji’s dialogues. But Aji’s is much more than a love story.
Anchored in the present-day world of man-made political borders and tough anti-immigration laws, CIA takes viewers into the border areas of the US where reality is even worse than fiction. In little towns near the US-Mexican border, the crew and cast of CIA meet people living only on hope; a place where families are torn asunder and dreams evaporate in the hot desert air. CIA walks viewers through those grey zones where people believe that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence and try to sneak into the US by hook or by crook to shape a better life for themselves.
The writing on the wall
“Our plan was to shoot in Reynosa, a border town in Mexico, but we were told that ruthless drug cartels ruled the border areas and so we decided to keep away from those places. Instead, we shot in Montera in Mexico and border areas in the US. The film was planned much before fences were strengthened on the US-Mexico border. But by the time we began shooting much had happened on the political scene and we were able to see for ourselves the fence and the walls that Trump plans to fortify. We have actually shot those places for the film,” says Amal.
The fast-paced films that accelerates from scene to scene has been scripted by Shibin and filmed by Ranadive. The film also stars Soubin Shahir, Dileesh Pothan, Chandni Sreedharan and Priyanka Nair.
Music has been scored by Gopi Sundar and one of the songs has been sung by Dulquer himself.
The film was made on a generous budget though Amal is reluctant to name an exact figure. He says it is a good sign that filmmakers themselves are making and distributing films. “That has broken the monopoly of a few big players. It is the same monopoly that is suffocating Hindi and Tamil films. Why is it that Geethu’s national award-winning film has still not been released? It is because of the monopoly.”
Now that CIA is creating waves, Amal says he is in the mood to make a couple of quick films to make up for the four years he spent on the making and shooting of Iyobinte Pusthakam and CIA .
Time for action again and not necessarily in slow motion!
Short takes
* May 5 was the birth anniversary of Karl Marx. And that is why Amal Neerad has dedicated his film as a birthday gift to Marx.
* Aji learns from his reading that Indians get visas on arrival in Nicaragua and Bolivia.
* In Montera, the film crew met a Malayali, Vinod ettan from Thalassery. Married to a Mexican, he has been running a small enterprise there. They have small roles in the film.