First up, Vishnu Narayan clarifies with a titter that Maradona is not about football. However, he reveals that his directorial début inevitably had the beautiful game at its heart during its inception. “When scenarist Krishna Moorthy and I were fleshing out the movie’s story in the initial stage, we had included a substantial dose of football. But the plot was later reworked to focus more on the titular character’s emotional journey to attribute it more substance. However, it does remain that the first letters of the names of the eight main characters make up the word MARADONA,” says the 35-year-old in a phone interview. The Tovino Thomas-starrer releases on Friday.
Vishnu Narayan
The movie revolves around Maradona (Tovino) and his friend Sudhi (Tito Wilson of Angamaly Diaries fame) whose line of work may not be the most straightforward one. “They are otherwise two harmless guys from Chavakkad, Thrissur, who try to make ends meet by bringing in altered vehicles from North India and selling them in Kerala. But after a particular incident, they are forced to be on the lam. The two then end up in Bangalore where the rest of the story unfolds,” says Vishnu, a native of Kottarakkara, stopping short of divulging more about ‘the incident.’
A complete entertainer
The director says the pivot of the plot is about how the hero with “some negative shades” undergoes a transformation after he rubs shoulders with a bunch of “positive characters” in Bangalore where he confines himself to an apartment. “There is action, romance, friendship and a shade of family drama in the path the protagonist traverses. It’s a feel-good entertainer. Since a major portion of the movie happens in the apartment, Maradona is also a talky film,” says Vishnu.
Newbie Sharanya R. Nair plays Asha, Tovino’s love interest. Others in the line-up include Kichu Tellus (of Angamaly Diaries fame), Shalu Rahim (who played a young Dulquer Salmaan in Kammattipaadam ), Leona Lishoy, and Jins Bhaskar among others.
Man with a past
“Chemban Vinod essays a strong and important character. He is a man with a chequered past but now living a quiet family life with his wife and kids. However, due to a ‘personal mission’, he’s prodded into action again and bravely faces its consequences,” reveals Vishnu. That’s not all. The cast also features Rambo, a beagle puppy, and Angel, a dove, who keep Maradona in good company during his stay in the flat.
The movie features six tracks composed by Sushin Shyam and, Vishnu says the numbers are “all crafted to make them naturally relevant” to the scenes and theme. “The background score ably supports the emotional spectrum and the movie is a musical treat,” claims the director. In the meantime, the romantic Kadhale... , sung by Sruthy Sasidharan, has become an ear-worm. Lyrics were penned by Vinayak Sasikumar.
Mainly shot in Chavakkad, Bangalore, Vandiperiyar and Ernakulam, the camera was cranked by Deepak D. Menon.
Vishnu, who has previously worked as associate to Aashiq Abu, Dileesh Pothan and Sameer Thahir, says he first met Tovino during the shooting of Godha . “Later, Tovino was only too happy to commit himself to the project.” The soft-spoken director has not been to any film school and says he learnt the craft of film-making thanks to “his wealth of experience.”
One has to trust his movie-making instincts when he has played key roles behind-the-scenes for movies such as Maheshinte Prathikaram , 22 Female Kottayam , Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi , Rani Padmini , and Idukki Gold .
So is he nervous? “Not really. I must say that I had an advantage in this project in having a very good team. The project progressed smoothly thanks to great teamwork and that has translated into a well-finished product,” says Vishnu. He sounds sure that Maradona will score high.
