Film director Nisam Basheer says he will talk only about the genre of Rorschach, the Mammootty-starrer that is in theatres. “It’s a psychological thriller. If I tell you the about plot or the character, the suspense will be lost,” he insists. His reluctance to give away even a one-liner of the story is evident.
This is the second film of the Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha director, who has scripted this film along with Sameer Abdul, scenarist of Iblis and Adventures of Omanakuttan. A one-line story narrated by Sameer intrigued Nisam and then they worked on the script, developing it and polishing it for nearly two years. Once they completed the script, Nisam felt the veteran would be the best for the role of Luke Antony, the protagonist, with shades of grey.
Mammootty was game when he heard the story and also agreed to come on board as producer of the film. “That was eight months before we began the shooting of the film. We did make small changes during the period,” he adds.
Mammootty and Nisam Basheer on the sets of Rorschach | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Nisam asserts that the mega star was a sport on the sets and never behaved as the star or the producer of the film. “He was the artiste and always took care to put us at ease. He is someone who has a finger on the pulse of the director and the crew. So the moment, we were anxious about something, he would go out of his way to ease the situation,” says the director.
Nisam says that this is a film that has to be watched carefully because “even missing a scene might result in the viewer failing to catch a vital link.”
“The story unfolds in a rustic background where an outsider comes to reside. His arrival acts a catalyst, resulting in changes in the village, the villagers and the visitor himself. He is there on a mission and he leaves once it is accomplished, explains Nisam.
That Rorschach involves a mind game is clear from the title of the film as Rorschach is a psychological test used to assess a person’s personality traits from his/her interpretation of an inkblot.
Nisam Basheer | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Nisam maintains that each person’s interpretation of the Rorschach test will be different. It reveals their emotional and personality traits as well. “There are around five significant characters in the film, all of whom have various dominant personality traits. How a viewer will judge their actions (as right or wrong) will depend on the character of the viewer as well. For instance, take Mammookka’s character Luke Antony. His actions and decisions could be seen or negative or positive depending on the attitude of the viewer,” says Nisam.
Since the veteran star is riding a wave of success with two interesting films behind him – blockbuster Bheeshma Parvam and Puzhu, does the expectations of a Mammootty film make him nervous?
“We were aware that expectations would be sky high for any film starring the actor. But I believe we have an interesting film for the audience,” says the director.
Shot in Athirappally, suburbs of Kochi and so on, the film’s cast includes Jagadish, Sharafudheen, Grace Antony, Bindu Panicker and Kottayam Nazeer.
