Blessy says Kalimannu , his seventh film at the helm, is his finest work ever. “I have dedicated it to my mother, Ammini. That should set to rest all anxieties about the content of the film and its visuals,” hopes the filmmaker.
He adds: “Different shades of motherhood have been portrayed in our cinema but not the bond between the mother and the unborn baby. Kalimannu fills that gap,” says Blessy.
Until Kalimannu , Blessy’s films narrated stories of heroes and their worlds. His latest film, however, captures the story from a woman’s point of view.
And playing the heroine Meera is none other than Shwetha Menon, who has wowed critics with come well-chosen roles in her second innings in Mollywood.
Blessy says the idea of such a film was inspired by the story of the valorous but tragic Mahabharatha hero Abhimanyu.
Legend has it that Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna and Subhadra, heard the secret of unlocking the Chakravyuham, when he was in the womb. Later, the youngster draws on that to break open the formidable battle formation of the Kauravas during the battle of Kurukshetra.
“There are many scientific studies on how a mother’s physical and emotional condition affect the child in the womb. That is something that our epics have been talking about for years. I was toying with the idea of making a film on the bond between the mother and the unborn child when I read that Shwetha was expecting. So I talked to her and she agreed to act as the protagonist. That was how the film was moulded,” explains Blessy.
In spite of the negative press and the war of words over the film Blessy stayed silent. He would rather let his film speak to his critics.
According to him, the movie has a lot of information on pregnancy and the emotional and physical state of the mother. Yet, he hastens to add, it is not a documentary. “At one point of time, it becomes life itself. I want viewers to see it and then tell me whether they found it objectionable in any way,” counters Blessy. Biju Menon plays the male lead in the film.
Film directors B. Unnikrishnan and Priyadarsan, television honcho Sreekantan Nair, Justice K.T. Thomas, Jameela Prakasham, MLA, and lyricist and poet Anil Panachooran appear as themselves in the film. Eight songs have been scored by M. Jayachandran for ONV Kurup’s lyrics.
