Jenuse Mohamed seems to have a fascination for numbers. After his début film 100 Days of Love , he returns to the marquee today with 9 (Nine), a film that has many firsts to its credit. Promoted as the first sci-fi thriller in Malayalam with a lot of interesting, state-of-the-art VFX work, the film is reportedly a cocktail of psychology and horror. “But above all, it is a film about a father and a son,” says Jenuse. ‘Albert will fight forces within & beyond for Adam’ goes a post on Prithviraj’s Insta. 9 also happens to be the first film to be co-produced by the newly-launched Prithviraj Productions and Sony Pictures Entertainment Films India.
After the quirky rom-com 100 Days of Love , starring Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen in 2015, the filmmaker seems to have been in no hurry to make his second one, also scripted by him.
9 has Prithviraj, Prakash Raj, Mamta Mohandas and Wamiqa Gabbi in the cast and it has been filmed by Abinandhan Ramanujam. State award-winning child actor Alok plays Adam, Prithviraj’s character Albert Lewis’ son. Shot in Manali and Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh and in Kuttikanam, Kochi and Vagamon in Kerala, the story of 9 unfolds in the Himalayas. A song was shot in Delhi.
As promos and trailers whipped up excitement about the film, its director remained elusive as he was immersed in post-production work. Several phone calls later, Jenuse took the call to talk about 9 and the challenges he faced during its making.
Jenuse Ahamed
Nine questions for the filmmaker…
Why was there an interval of four years between your films?
That is because 9 happens to the kind of film that needed that kind of time to mount it. Pre-production work for the film required a fair amount of time. And I was working with one of the busiest stars in Malayalam. So, it required that time to get things in place for 9 . The shoot was wrapped up in June but the post-production work took another eight months. The scale of the film demanded that.
What is the one-line story of the film?
9 , as the title suggests, happens over nine days. The crux of the story is set in that period of time. The bonding between a father and his son is narrated against the backdrop of a global scientific event.
And what is that global event?
(Laughs) I don’t want to say that now. Watch it on screen. Within that, it maps how the arc of the father-son relationship develops and then there are elements of psychology and horror.
After a rom-com, you have gone in for a completely different genre...
The fact that nobody had done such a film before appealed to me and I wanted to try something challenging for myself. I wanted to see if I could open an avenue for films in this genre. Let’s see. A lot of writers, directors and actors want to do films like this. It is just that there had to be a precedent.
\ What were the challenges in shooting the film?
The biggest challenge was to convince people to buy into the theme of the film. In terms of shooting, it was not all challenging compared to what we had to do to mount the film because I had a producer who completely understood what I was doing and believed in it. Everyone knew we were on fresh terrain. Everybody, right from Prithviraj and Supriya [Menon] to all those involved in the technical side, we were all on the same page. All I had to do was shoot the film.
You also scripted the film, the foundation of any film...
That was an organic process. To be honest, I finished the script within a week’s time. However, any film will only work with a human story. You can do any kind of technical wizardry that you want or mount the film on any scale, but if the human story does not connect, the film will not work.
To me, personally, it is the arc of the relationship between father and son that really enthused me. To tell that kind of a story, to expose that kind of a relationship was quite unusual.
Does your father, veteran filmmaker Kamal, come into the picture while you are writing a script or planning a film?
I wrote the scripts for both of my films. Obviously, I share the idea with my father, he gives me his honest opinion. He always tells me that any idea would sound good but it all depends on how well it is translated into a screenplay. Cinema is all about the screenplay. We have seen so many films where we have felt that the screenplay was not up to scratch. The only advice he has given me about scripts is: ‘write down the script. If there is a nice rhythm to it, a smooth flow, then it works’.
Why did you choose Prithviraj to play Albert?
I have known Prithvi for a while. I worked with him during the making of Celluloid in which I worked as an assistant director. I know how he works, how he thinks. So, in terms of the film we are making, I knew we could connect. Whether it was Dulquer or Prithvi, they were with me right from the beginning of the project. When it comes to 9 , without Prithvi, this film would not have happened.
And your next film?
9 has been a demanding film. So many minute details warranted close attention. We just finished the post-production work and are now looking forward to the film’s release. However, I don’t plan to take such a long gap before my next film. Within the next four to five months, I plan to start shooting.
