The new stars of the box office

Film director Jibu Jacob and script writer Joji Thomas, both debutants, are basking in the success of Vellimoonga

Jibu Jacob, director of Vellimoonga.

C.P. Mamachens are aplenty in Kerala politics. That must be the reason why this wily politician, the protagonist of the Malayalam film

Vellimoonga , has won the votes of viewers in Kerala. While critics and box office pundits are still pondering on what makes a film like

Vellimoonga a hit, the cast and crew are celebrating the sleeper hit that quietly flitted into theatres and is now ruling the roost.

When Jibu Jacob approached actors, technicians and producers with a script to make his first film, there were many who turned him down for one reason or the other. But now, he cares two hoots about the past because the cinematographer-turned-director has the last laugh, as his film Vellimoonga starring Biju Menon in the lead as Mamachen, feasts on the box office pickings.

“I had faith in my film and knew that it would do well but never expected it to do so well. I am still getting used to it,” admits Jibu, laughing.

Vellimoonga was hatched nearly three years ago when techie and wannabe script writer Joji Thomas approached Jibu with a story set in a rustic background. Jibu was charmed by the characters in the story, especially Mamachen. So he put Joji in touch with directors and producers he knew in the film industry. When things did not click, a disheartened Joji wanted to abort the project. But Jibu had an intuition that Mamachen would win the box office election.

So Jibu adopted all the characters of Joji’s story, thoroughly reworked the script several times till they were happy with it and decided to direct the film himself. “I had been on the lookout for stories to turn director and I decided to make this my first film. Then it was titled Vishudhanaya Mamachen ,” says Jibu, a seasoned cinematographer who won his credits by cranking the camera for the Prithviraj-starrer Stop Violence .

Jibu approached “good friend” Biju Menon to play Mamachen. “We found ourselves on the same page when we were staying in the same hotel in Kasaragod but working on different films. Biju is a person without any airs. We stayed in touch and as soon as I heard about Mamachen, I knew it had to be Biju,” says Jibu.

He adds: “I always wondered why Bjiu was content to act in multi-starrers and not do a movie on his own. In fact, after Shivam (2002) I don’t think he acted in a film as the sole hero. In any film, the script is the star and I firmly believed in ours.”

The director was confident that the laidback actor could carry the film on his shoulders. Even when a heroine was hard to find for the 40-plus Mamachen, Jibu did not despair for his characters.

Joji had based his story in Shantipuram, his remote village in Kannur where most of the inhabitants work on the land for a living. Joji says since it is his first script, he wanted to locate it in a place he was familiar with. "I know the characters in the film and the reason why the movie appealed to many is because it is grounded in reality. There are no theatres in my village but the entire panchayat went to watch the film 40 km away. That is a gesture I cherish,” says Joji.

For the movie, Jibu had his team recreated Shantipuram in a scenic location in Thodupuzha and shot the film there. They recreated a market place to breathe life into Joji’s characters. Reluctant to hog the credit for his film, Jibu says that it was a democratic set-up wherein each person could suggest ideas to improve the film. So everyone pitched with suggestions and ideas and left it to Jibu to take a call on it.

“That is why the film has struck a chord with viewers. Most of the popular scenes that garner laughs were inspired by real-life incidents. For instance, there is a scene in which a jeep blares out a loud Hindi song when it is reversed. That was narrated by a team member and Joji added that to the script. It was the same with many other incidents in the films,” says Jibu.

Even the strange title was chosen after brainstorming sessions with his team. “Film director Vysakh’s movie was Vishudhan . So, we had to change ours and till the last day of the shoot, we did not have a title for my film. Though we racked our brains, not one of the suggestions appealed. Finally, we decided to zero in on Vellimoonga .”

Now that Lady Luck has wooed him, there are offers for both director and script writer. Joji says he would like to try his hand at writing again but not after sacrificing his work at Nest in Kochi. Jibu, meanwhile, has a request before occupying the director’s chair again. He hopes that Vellimoonga ’s success motivates producers and actors to give newcomers a helping hand even when there are no major stars in a film.

“2014 has been lucky for many debutants and there are many waiting in the wings. I hope my film will encourage them to go solo and believe in themselves,” says Jibu.