Four cousins go on an adventure

Director Vysakh’s Cousins follows Sam and his cousins on a trip to Manipal to revisit Sam’s college days there.

Indrajith, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Joju George and Kunchacko Boban in a still from Cousins

A vacant plot near the bridge at Kundannoor in Kochi has been transformed into a huge set for director Vysakh’s Cousins . Open the nondescript doors of the temporary building that has been constructed on site and it’s a different world altogether. The interiors of a palace, complete with huge windows and arches, decked to the hilt in bright colours, burning candles and flowers have been created from scratch.

Kunchacko Boban, Indrajith, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Joju George play the four cousins, the protagonists of the tale. Wearing Rajasthani Angarakha-inspired costumes, the four are watching a performance by a group of women dancers led by actress Kamalinee Mukherjee.

“At the outset, let me make it clear that

Cousins is pure fun and it may even defy logic at times,” says Vysakh.

“Sam [Kunchacko] is affected by a psychological disorder that has erased his memories of a certain period in his life. No, it’s not amnesia. In fact, it’s something completely opposite, something akin to hyperthamesia. He is on a trip to Manipal to revisit those years when he was a student there, accompanied by his cousins, Jojy [Indrajith], Pauly [Suraj] and Tony [Joju], as per his doctor’s instructions. In between, the quartet head to Chandragiri, a village where people still live a way of life that is years away from modernity. The villagers all know Sam, and, more importantly, need him to regain his memories to trace the whereabouts of a girl who went missing from the village. What we are shooting now is a song that will lead to some of those intriguing twists in the story,” he explains, while watching the dancers gyrate to a peppy beat.

In the next scene, the four cousins have to join the dancers on stage and they are now listening attentively to choreographer Shobi Paul Raj as he shows them the steps.

“We shot extensively in Mysore, inside some majestic palaces there. The movie starts as a fun ride and then there are some mysteries that will be unveiled during the course of the narration,” says Kunchacko.

The actor adds that it was an absolutely enjoyable experience. “It was the food, the songs and the humour that we enjoyed the most during the shooting. Suraj has been making us laugh all along with his mimicry and by now Indrajith and Joju have also become expert mimics,” he says, with a laugh. Indrajith, meanwhile, admits that though he is not a great dancer, he certainly enjoys shaking a leg.

Suraj and Joju play brothers. Vedhika, Nisha Aggarwal and Miya play the female leads. Cousins is being produced by Vaishak Rajan and will reach theatres this December. Sethu has scripted the film. Shaji is the cinematographer and M. Jayachandran has composed the music. Stills are by Abhilash Narayanan.