Vipin Das’ second film, Antakshari, an investigative thriller, will hit the screens on April 22 on SonyLIV
second film of vipin das, antakshariAn investigative thriller, to release on April 22 on SonyLIV
Vipin Das loves to tell out-of-the-box stories. His directorial debut, Mudhugauvi (2016), was a prank comedy about a cynical don with a strange problem. In his second film, antakshariWhich airs on SonyLIV on 22nd April, Vipin tells the story of a police officer (Saiju Kurup), who is accustomed to playing the role of ‘Antakshari’.
Saiju as Das is often the object of mockery for his fondness for ‘Antakshari’. But this habit eventually takes a dangerous turn. Vipin insisted that he prefers to make thrillers with “least expected elements”. in MudhugauviIn , the protagonist is a carefree young man Bharat (Gokul Suresh), who has a habit of kissing the person around him, whether nervous or happy. One of them is Ramakrishnan Bonacod aka Rambo (Vijay Babu), a don.
However, his “strange subjects” were dismissed all these years. “I have written some seven stories. If the producer liked it, the actor didn’t and vice versa. I never went to a place where I could explain to everyone and so it took six years for my second film,” he says.
Director Vipin Das | photo credit: special arrangement
antakshari”The case was no different. Some of the leading actors were not inclined to do it. “Also, since my first film didn’t do well at the box office, no one wanted to take the risk. In the end, it was Saiju and Sultan Brothers Entertainment’s producer Al Jassam Abdul Jabbar who stood by me. Production House gave me the freedom to choose my favorite artists,” says Vipin.
He credits director Jeetu Joseph’s participation. “He had read this story many years ago and then suggested some changes. Later, we decided to collaborate on a project with Mammootty, which did not happen. After that, he got busy. visible 2 and other projects. When Saiju joined Jeetu animatenew project of 12th valuehe told him About Antakshari. That’s how we reconnected. He liked the movie even though I didn’t make the changes he told me! He was even ready to join it. It is because of his presence that we were able to take it to the OTT platform,” says Vipin.
extended version
Vipin has plans to bring out an expanded version of the film in the future. “The original product is three-and-a-half hours long. But we had to edit some scenes keeping in mind the family audience. This version is a two-hour film and I have to release the full version as a series if it works out.” Hopefully the content is ready for streaming and the makers are fine with my plan,” he explains.
He believes that while making antakshari He had no plans for release. He said, “After facing so many rejections, I had decided that this would be my last film. I was desperate to prove myself and wanted to bring out this film at any cost. This is one of the reasons why I explored the possibility of a series. I am glad that it is coming on a streaming platform because if there are not enough viewers, theaters usually pull the film after a week or two,” he says.
Saiju Kurup and Sudhi Koppa in a still from ‘Antakshari’. photo credit: special arrangement
Vipin was working in the IT sector before he decided to foray into tinsel town. He said, ‘I have not assisted any director. I learned to handle the crew by making short films and ad films. It was Aju Varghese who starred in his short film, unnimoolamWhosoever . took the script Mudhugauvi Actor-producer Vijay Babu.
He says that although Mudhugauvi Didn’t do well, there were offers to remake it in multiple languages. “But none of them worked. Had it been released now, more people would have been able to watch it. Cinema has changed a lot in terms of storytelling, making and other aspects. The movie watching experience has also changed,” they say.
Vipin says he went for several cost-cutting measures antakshari, “We did not have a light unit and instead of renting used LED lights and balloon lights made by a friend. DSLR cameras were used in place of high-end camera equipment. There was no dolly track either. Even though we had to stop shooting for a few days due to COVID-19, we finished shooting in 31 days.”
Composer Ankit Menon has tried out “New Soundscape”. Keyboard usage is kept to a minimum; The songs and background score use natural surrounding sounds. The film also features a Russian track, sung by Maxim Nikulin. “Since we were experimenting with sounds, this process took about four months to complete,” he says.
Priyanka Nair, Sudhi Kopa, Vijay Babu, Binu Pappu and Sabreesh Verma are in the cast Antakshari, in addition to new faces such as Sandeep Pradeep, Ishita Singh and Mridul Mukesh.
vipin next movie Jay Jay Jay Jaya HeyStarring Darshan Rajendran and Basil Joseph, will go on floors next month. “It’s a different satire about a typical middle-class Indian girl who faces gender inequality at every step of her life.”