A modest but elegant house near Muttom in Thodupuzha, with waterfront views and greenery all around, makes for a rich frame for director Shaji Aziz's ‘Oridathoru Postman.' The film stars Kunchacko Boban, Innocent, Sarath Kumar, Kalabhavan Mani and Meera Nandan in the lead roles.
“It's a serious A genuine story filled with humour, romance and sentiments,” says Shaji Aziz, who has earlier directed ‘Shakespeare MA (Malayalam)' with Shyju Anthikkad.
“The story centres around the escapades of a father and son who live in this house. The father, Gangadharan (Innocent), is a postman in the village but not a very punctual one at that. He often fails to deliver letters and money orders on time and that is a cause of concern for all.
“His long-suffering son, Reghunandanan (Kunchacko Boban), on the other hand, is a hardworking youth who teaches at a Public Service Commission examination coaching centre. He hopes to make it big but most of the money he earns from his salary, real estate and other businesses is barely enough to settle his father's bungles,” says the director.
Twist to the tale
“Reghunandanan often helps his father to deliver letters and comes across some letters that were left behind. He finds that the letters were addressed to one Yasin Mubarak and he decides to find him. The story takes a different turn once Raghunandanan sets off to find the addressee,” adds K. Gireesh Kumar, who has written the screenplay and dialogues of the film.
Tamil actor Sarath Kumar, who has found great acceptance in Malayalam after his fine portrayal of Edachena Kunkan in the epic ‘Pazhassi Raja,' plays Yasin, a wildlife photographer. “Yasin is also an environmentalist. In fact, the sequences, which were shot earlier, had him requesting the villagers to keep their surroundings free from plastic waste, tobacco and so on. Presently we are shooting the scene where Yasin comes to meet Gangadharan,” says Sarath Kumar, while getting ready to face the camera.
Meera Nandan plays Usha, a student at the coaching centre, who is in love with Reghunandanan, while Suraj Venjarammood, Salim Kumar and Jaffer Idukki, play “characters we would hope to come across in our villages” according to Gireesh Kumar.
Playing a cop
Kalabhavan Mani plays a cop, who despite talking and behaving in a comic way, is brilliant at his job and has a great track record.
“The character is quite interesting and he presents himself initially in a comical way. I have really missed doing comedy for I love such roles. These days, though, I haven't had much opportunity to do such roles,” says Kalabhavan Mani.
‘Oridathoru Postman' is being produced under the banner of Nila Creations. The cinematographer is Anand Balakrishnan. Lyrics by Kaithapram and Anil Panachooran have been composed by Mohan Sithara. The still photographer is Sinat Savier.
