Bonds of matrimony

Akku Akbar’s Mathai Kuzhappakkaranalla is a tale of a marital relationship gone sour, which a do-gooder tries to resolve.

A still from Mathai Kuzhappakkaranalla

Six years ago, when Akku Akbar took a close look at the relationship between a husband and wife, he came up with a thought-provoking film that also proved to be a hit at the box office. Veruthe Oru Bharya succeeded because he could tell a socially relevant story in an engaging way. Akku is all set to narrate another tale of domesticity with Mathai Kuzhappakkaranalla , which reaches cinemas today. It too will be laced with humour, he promises. And he hastens to add that the treatment of the plot though is entirely different from anything he has attempted so far.

“It is my most ambitious work yet. Although Mathai Kuzhappakkaranalla is a mainstream film, I haven’t used typical commercial ingredients such as songs. And much of the action in the film takes place over telephonic conversations. There is only one costume change for the actors and the entire action unfolds within a day,” says the director of films such as Sadanante Samayam and Vellaripravinte Changathi .

Akku himself has written the script. “I have noticed that quarrels between couples often begin over trivial issues. Perhaps it’s because they do not communicate with each other enough. It was from this observation that I got the plot of

Mathai Kuzhappakkaranalla ,” he says.

The film has a handful of characters. “It is a simple tale about a couple who are finding it difficult to adjust to each other and are on the brink of a divorce. Mukesh plays Dr. Nandagopan and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy is his wife, Geeth. When the film begins, they are living separately,” says Akku.

The plot thickens when Mathai, an autorickshaw driver from Thrissur, lands up in their town. “Jayasurya has performed brilliantly as Mathai. He is an old acquaintance of Nandagopan. When Nandagopan takes him home, Mathai senses that there is trouble in the house and believes he can solve it. But, he only manages to create more troubles,” elaborates Akku.

Bhama plays Jayasurya’s heroine, Anna. “Mathai and Anna are in love and decide to elope. It is to meet Anna, who is staying at a hostel, that Mathai has come to town,” says the director. “Jayasurya provides a lot of humour, especially with his deft handling of the Thrissur slang. It was after watching him in

Punyalan Agarbattis that I decided to cast him as Mathai,” he adds.

Sreejith Ravi, in the role of an effeminate dance teacher, could spring a surprise for the audience, says the director. Tamil actress Kuyili plays the other main character, that of Lakshmi’s mother.

Anto Joseph has produced the film. Pradeep Nair is the cinematographer.