Reality shows entered Indian homes under the guise of talent hunts on the small screen. As channels proliferated and became 24x7, the need for content that attracts eyeballs forced television honchos to look for something new and edgy that would persuade viewers to tune in to their channels and stay away from the remote controls. Then came the reality shows that turned personal spaces into performance spaces and public spaces for a wide-eyed, voyeuristic audience that clamoured for more. And the channels obliged.
‘Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty' (TOP), T.K. Rajeevkumar's latest film that releases today, is perhaps a first in Mollywood if not in India, that turns the camera on to the unrealistic world of reality shows. Jim Carey's ‘The Truman Show' was one of the early films to explore the space of constructed reality. If ‘Peepli Live' brought alive the grim reality of life in rural India, TOP, says Rajeev, is a “rollicking spoof; an entertainer that takes a tongue-in-cheek look at reality shows, its participants, and the people who work behind the scenes to ensure that each episode covers a spectrum of emotions that manages to tug at the heartstrings of viewers.”
He adds that TOP is no way a movie that sits on judgment on reality shows or its contents. “There are no diatribes against or cloying applause for the concept of reality programmes. The movie merely evaluates how such shows can influence or affect the lives of the many people who are connected to such shows, directly or indirectly,” says Rajeev.
He says the idea struck him when he was amused and intrigued by the popularity of reality shows of all kinds and the way many television viewers moved away from serials to get hooked to reality shows based on music, dance, comedy, drama, familial and societal problems and so on… “I discussed this at great length with film editor Ajith Kumar because the movie required two kinds of editing – one for the television show and one for the film. So almost all through the movie there are two parallel visual narratives – one that shows the work of a television production crew at work and another that tracks Manju who is pushed into the limelight,” explains Rajeev.
Manju, enacted by Nithya Menen, becomes a contestant in a reality show that promises an attractive prize for a participant who has to lead her life for a certain period under the arclights.
Changing mores
How her life and the lives of all those who are close to her are changed irrevocably lead us to take a look at changing political, social and economic mores. “Through her life, we bring to light the many foibles that make us all so very human. Even in the film, the performances spaces kept blurring. For instance, Manju walks into a shop. In that scene, actually, even the curious onlooker becomes a part of the film. In that sense, many scenes in this movie did enlarge and smudge our ideas of reality,” says Rajeev. Unni Mukundan is the male lead in the film and it is a lucky break for this talented youngster. KPAC Lalitha, Maniyan Pillai Raju, Siddique, Swetha Menon, Suraj Venjarmmodu, and Tiny Tom are also in the cast. Expressing confidence in his cast, Rajeev says that each actor has done an excellent job.
Coming as it does after the commercial success of his remake of ‘Rathinirvedam,' TOP emphasises Rajeev's versatility and ability to flesh out women characters who are not just props in his movies. With eight songs scored by Sharreth, the lyrics of which have been written by Murugan Kattakada and Beeyar Prasad, TOP is also a musical entertainer, Rajeev adds.
Reel reality
S cripted by Rajeev himself, his concept of a movie based on reality shows turned into reality when four film buffs formed a production company Reel 2 Reel and agreed to produce the film. “It is their faith and courage that has made this film a reality,” says Rajeev. He says if such producers, who make films for the love for it and not merely to make a quick buck, are to enter the industry, then the directors must learn to budget their film by keeping in mind the market for Malayalam film and its constraints. Screenplay is by Sunny Joseph and Manuel George.
