The crew of G. Marthandan’s Paavada rush about getting the lighting right inside a room in a bungalow in Fort Kochi, the day’s location for the film.
Meanwhile, Prithviraj, the hero of the film, alights from his swanky trailer and makes his way to the set. The usually debonair actor is in costume and looks rather unkempt. He plays a down-on-luck villager, Joy, in the film.
“The film is about the unlikely friendship between Joy and a professor, Babu Joseph, played by Anoop Menon. Joy lives in a village near Pala and did not complete his schooling. His family is not well off and he ekes out a living as an odd jobs man. When the need arises he becomes a headload worker, a driver, a plumber… Sinimol (Miya), a nurse, who works in a nearby hospital, is his wife. Joy becomes close to the professor at a certain point of time and they strike up a friendship,” says Marthandan, whose last film was Mammootty-starrer Acha Din .
The scene that is being filmed unfolds inside the professor’s home. Joy and Pillechan (Nedumudi Venu), who takes care of the professor’s home, are fooling around and both seem rather drunk.
Prithviraj explains who his character in Paavada is: “Joy is an alcoholic and because of that his life is out of control. But like all addicts, he always has an excuse for his drinking and for him, it is his past. As the story unfolds, Professor Joseph reveals certain aspects of Joy’s past. I can’t divulge more details. It’s a fun film, but it’s not only laughter,” says Prithviraj.
Anoop too is rather reluctant to talk about his role as he waits for his shot. “He is a scholar and both Joy and the professor have a crucial influence on each other’s lives.”
As the unit goes for a close up shot of Anoop, actors Nedumudi Venu, Maniyanpillai Raju and Manikkuttan are busy chatting in one of the adjacent rooms.
On being quizzed about what it is like to team up with younger stars, veteran Nedumudi Venu says: “Young or old, I see them all as actors only. I enjoy sharing the screen with youngsters as they are all vibrant and talented.”
Asha Sarath, Murali Gopy, Siddique and Kalabhavan Shajon are in the cast. Paavada is being produced by Maniyanpillai Raju. Pradeep Nair is the cinematographer and the music director is Aby Tom Cyriac. Still photographer is Sreeni Manjeri.
