Ranjith Sankar, an the engineer-turned-filmmaker, surprised everyone when he got on board boarded Mollywood with his well-made debut venture ‘Passenger' in 2009. And now the director is ready with his latest film he is ready with his next film, ‘Arjunan Saakshi,' with has Prithviraj and Ann Augustine in the lead. Ranjith calls ‘Arjunan Saakshi' a “social-action thriller,” a ‘thriller' that presents a strong case for social action. message. Through the tale of It deals with how we evade our responsibility to society through the tale of Roy Mathew (Prithiviraj), a young architect, the film explores how most of us are reluctant to fulfil our evade our responsibilities to society. Roy moves back to Kerala after growing up outside the State, and gets caught up in and is affected by certain socio-political issues. In his blog (ranjithsankar.wordpress.com), the director writes that the film is very special to him because of a number of reasons. “First, of course, being the character of Roy Mathew. I don't know if I will write any such character whom I have truly felt for. There is actually so much of me in Roy Mathew. His thoughts, desires, lifestyle… Roy Mathew in the second half becomes my aspirations. What I want to do but unfortunately cannot!”
Just hours before the release of ‘Arjunan Saakshi,' Ranjith talks about the film. his dreams and so on. Excerpts from an interview…
You were a complete outsider to the film industry while making ‘Passenger.' How tough was it to geta foothold into the industry on your own?
Obviously, it was never easy. But then I believe that if your interest in what you pursue is strong, then it's easy to overcome hurdles. Of course, those who have gone through the grind tend to feel apprehensive when someone with no prior experience attempts such a demanding task.
Why do you think that ‘Passenger' did so well, despite being quite unconventional?
I believe that once you have a genuine subject to narrate, it will be accepted, provided you tell it in a convincing way, and in a way the viewers can relate to. Admittedly, the release of the film also helped as there were not too many films at that time. I did get several offers to direct films after the success of ‘Passenger.' But it is only now, after the experience of making ‘Arjunan Saakshi,' that I feel movies are going to be my medium from now on. This is where I am going to discover myself, something which I can handle convincingly…
The concept for ‘Arjunan Saakshi'
I started thinking about this subject in the late 1990s while I was still an engineering student. There was a news item about an impending tram project from Aluva to Kochi. I was excited because it was going to be a revolutionary project, which had the potential to change the face of the city. Although it was supposed to have begun shortly afterwards, the project got stalled. I did ask the authorities concerned but by 2002 it was as if everyone had forgotten about it.
If you go to cities like Bangalore or Chennai, you can see infrastructure coming up at a frenetic pace. In contrast, here in Kerala, we seem to have a lax attitude to this. Yet, we citizens still have to shell out quite a hefty amount of tax for infrastructure-related activities and there is nothing to show for it. The scenario has been the same since the 1990s. In this context, this issue is now all the more relevant.
On choosing Prithiviraj and Ann Augustine for the lead roles…
Roy Mathew's mannerisms and attitudes fit Prithviraj perfectly. We had originally planned to start the project during August last year but the best thing about it being delayed was that we could have Ann in the cast. She is such a gifted actor.
If Prithviraj is Roy Mathew, then who is ‘Arjunan'?
(Smiles) How we present the character is the curiosity element in the film. It will be revealed as the story progresses. All I can say is that ‘Arjunan' is more of a concept than a character. However, the question of who Arjunan is, is definitely not the suspense element in the film.
Is it going to be an action film?
On being both thewriter and the director of the film…
From my experience, it is really convenient to be both a writer and a director, as one tends to have more control over all the aspects of the film. For instance, when it comes to the budget, being a writer-director helps in planning things better.
Do you feel the pressureas expectations are higher this time?
I don't have any such pressure and all that I intended was to make 'Arjunan Saakshi' in the best possible way. I have no great plans about a career in films and I am not into dreaming about great rewards.
I am the kind of person who is not too excited by happiness or greatly affected by setbacks. I had a genuine story to tell and my team has come together to make it into a film that the viewer wants to see.
I am curious to know how the audience will respond to the film.
