When Malayalam film Star releases in theatres on October 29, it will be the end of a long wait for director Domin D’Silva. “We had an opportunity to release it on an OTT platform. But we stuck to our decision to wait for cinemas to open,” says Domin.
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Star , starring Joju George and Sheelu Abraham, is the first Malayalam film to reach theatres after the lockdown. “We finished the shoot eight months ago. Audiences are looking forward to a theatrical experience. When theatres opened after the first wave with 50% seating capacity, viewers were apprehensive because most of them were not vaccinated then. Still, some of the films released then got a reasonable collection. The situation is better this time because most of us have taken at least one dose of the vaccine. So, hopefully, viewers will be more confident about coming to the theatres,” says Domin.
The film is a “psychological mystery”, he says. “We relate the idea of the supernatural with certain images and situations; for instance, ghosts walking around in white attire or hearing sound of anklets on a spooky night! We have been conditioned to think like that. In Star, we have attempted to approach the whole concept in a different way. Our tagline is ‘burst of myths’. We want to bust certain myths and superstitions. It is definitely a film for families,” says Domin, who debuted as a director with Paippin Chuvattile Pranayam (2017).
Written by debutant Suvin Somashekaran, Star is about a couple, Roy (Joju) and Ardra (Sheelu). Married for 17 years and living happily with their children, their life turns upside down once Ardra, a homemaker, encounters some eerie situations. This leads to problems in their family life. Prithviraj, who has an “extended cameo role”, steps in as the doctor (Dr Derrick) to handle the situation. “I am happy to have worked with such artistes. Actors are tools to take the art to the masses. When someone like Prithviraj comes in, it is always good for the movie,” he says.
With music being an integral part of the storyline, Star features three music directors — M Jayachandran, Ranjin Raj and William Francis. William, composer of Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha (2019) that won the State film award for the best male singer, has also done the background score.
Produced by Abraham Mathew, the singers featured in the album are Sithara Krishnakumar, Vijay Yesudas, Mridula Varier and Nithya Mammen.
“My first work was a romance. This is a totally different genre. The content is strong and that makes me confident,” he says.
