Mahesh Narayanan is the editor, writer and director who started the OTT trend in Malayalam with C U Soon. His next project is the Fahadh Faasil starrer Malik, which was scheduled for release in theatres and is now going for a streaming release. Excerpts from an interview with Sreedhar Pillai:
What made you opt for an OTT release for C U Soon and now Malik?
After doing Take Off, my second film with Fahadh Faasil was C U Soon and it happened during the first wave of Covid-19, in the lockdown period. When all of us were depressed and thought the industry would not survive, he said let us do a work-from-home film. We started once the government allowed shoots with 50-member crews and completed it in three weeks.
Malik was a big-budget film—work started two years back and involved outdoors shoots involving a huge set in a coastal village. The film was ready for release, but we have had to postpone it twice now. Now we have decided to go for a OTT release; the date will be announced shortly.
Has being the leading editor helped you to become a better writer and director?
Yes, I learned a lot from editing; it helped me to hone my skills in story selection and choice of content. The content differs for theatrical and OTT audiences. The run time of C U Soon was 92 minutes because the viewer had a remote in his hand, while Malik, made for a theatrical experience, is 158 minutes long.
Would you say Malayalam cinema is going places with a pan-Indian viewership due to OTT?
Yes, surveys indicate a growing number of non-Malayali viewers for Malayalam content. A lot of young directors like Lijo Jose Pelissery, Dileesh Pothan and others are creating niche audiences. All of us look forward to what others are doing and we throw around our ideas when we meet. The subjects chosen are mostly rooted in the local milieu. OTTs have also brought about changes in writing and scene composition.
You are now doing your fourth film, Malayankunju, with Faasil. What’s the secret of your success as a team?
FaFa and I go a long way back. He is a good friend, we connect well and he is ready to take the road less travelled. We argue a lot, but in the end it is a collaboration. Once he is convinced of a story, he goes ahead. Malik, for example, is set in a coastal fishing village, where two Muslim persons are locked in a dispute. It is a film rooted in its terrain, and narrates the conflict with a timeline from 1965 to 2018. Fahadh plays 58-year-old Sulaiman; he lost 10 to 15 kilos for the role, as his character ages from 21 to 58. Malayankunju is a survival thriller based on a landslide in Idukki, which I have written. The film is directed by my assistant Sajimon.
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