One of Malayalam cinema’s most sought-after directors, Dileesh Pothan is credited to have introduced a new idiom and style to contemporary cinema. He spoke to Preetha Nair about his latest film Joji. Excerpts:
The New Yorker called Joji the first major film of the Covid-19 pandemic. Did you expect such a review of your first work for an OTT platform? How different was the experience from your previous works?
I’m glad Joji received such rave reviews. Someone told me about this review, though I hadn’t heard of New Yorker before (laughs).
Since the story is a tragedy, I was apprehensive about its commercial viability. I was aware of the constraints of the format, and that the experience would be different as it would be viewed in a personal space.
But I was looking at OTT as a creative space. I was hopeful the script, which is inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth, will resonate with a diverse audience.
The story is set in a small village in Kerala. Were you apprehensive about its acceptability?
I didn’t have any doubt the theme would resonate with a global audience. There may be differences in cultural rooting, but the theme is relevant for any country and culture. My only worry was how viewers would respond while watching it alone rather than with an audience in a theatre.
Why Macbeth?
The plot of Joji was spurred by a grim phase of the lockdown. We put our heads together to make a film to drive away the blues. We discussed plays as we could work within a limited space. I have a background in theatre and have staged Macbeth earlier. My screenwriter, Syam Pushkaran, was also excited about it. So we decided to explore if film can invoke the same feelings as theatre.
The woman character Bincy doesn’t show any traits of Lady Macbeth.
I didn’t want her to be close to the original, but tried to represent a depressed woman from central Kerala, who is oppressed by the patriarchal setup.
Fahadh Faasil has played the title role in all your three movies. His characters have got darker and more complicated in your journey together.
I knew Fahadh is the best person to do this role. There were many challenges Syam Pushkaran, Fahadh and I faced, in creating the character. It happened organically. We had to make sure Joji didn’t display any shades of earlier characters in Maheshinte Prathikaram and Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum.
Suddenly, everybody is raving about Malayalam films. A flurry of good films were made during the lockdown. How did the industry adapt quickly to OTT?
I don’t think it’s lockdown-specific, though I’m proud people are calling it a golden period of Malayalam cinema. We had made brilliant movies in the 1970s and earlier. The industry is not big-budget oriented, unlike Tamil or Hindi industries. To compete, we had to push the envelope, making our films rich in content. We also have independent producers who help churn out innovative projects. But good films are being made in other languages too.
We are seeing a transformation in themes, narratives and characters. For instance, your male protagonists are weak and ordinary.
My movies and characters are slices of real life. They are weak and have shortcomings, like people I know. The real hero is the audience which embraces these characters with their shortcomings.
What next? Any big-budget movie in the pipeline?
Until now, my movies were realistic. As a director, I now want to experiment with form. Discussions are on.
You have also acted in films. Do you enjoy acting?
I didn’t have any desire to become an actor. I got an opportunity accidentally. I pursued acting because it fetched good money and reviews. Now I’m approaching acting seriously. My upcoming movie is Malik, in which Fahadh is playing the lead, while I’m playing an important role. It’s releasing on July 15. There are other films too, which will be released soon.
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