Saiju Kurup in a scene from Aditya Chandrasekhar’s film enkilam chandrike, starring Suraj Venjaramoodu, Saiju Kurup, Basil Joseph, Niranjana Anoop and Tanvi Ram. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Adityan Chandrasekhar may have pulled off a casting coup by roping in Suraj Venjaramoodu, Basil Joseph and Saiju Kurup for his feature film debut. enkilam chandrikeBut the 28-year-old mechanical engineer-turned-director wondered whether he would be able to call the shots on the sets while working with such experienced stars.
“While working on web series, I had the freedom to demand what I wanted from my actors. I was worried whether I could do the same with these actors,” he says.
Aditya had previously worked with the Kariku team on a web series and also produced a series of YouTube content. youtube series of karikku flicks rock Paper Scissors, an exciting Directed by her, it told the story of three women living together in an apartment in Kochi and trying to balance their lives while away from home.
Working with seasoned film actors, he says, put him on a learning curve. “He was open to my suggestions and collaborations. The fact that he trusted me was overwhelming for a new feature film director like me. We had a great time on set.”
After a long break, enkilam chandrike Sooraj is in a light-hearted film with lots of humour. “For a while, we’ve only seen the sun ettan in serious roles. In this we will again see him in a comedy, ”says the director.
Adityan says that as soon as Sooraj read the script written by him and Arjun Narayanan, the actors agreed to act in the film. The screenwriters worked on the script for more than 18 months before locking on the final script.
Adityan Chandrasekhar on the sets of his feature film debut enkilam chandrike, which was shot in Kannur. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“The film revolves around a fictional rural place called Kudanthonda, a club in that village and a series of events that revolve around the marriage of the lead character Chandrika, played by Niranjana Anoop. It is a feel-good film,” says Adityan. Tanvi Ram and Abhiram Ramakrishnan are also in the cast.
Lately, Malayalam cinema has seen a spate of films focusing on marriages and engagements. Adityan insists enkilam chandrike has a different trajectory, bearing no resemblance to marriage-based films in the past. “My story is based in a fictional village in North Malabar. Even the number plates of vehicles there start with KT and not KL as in Kerala. The dialect, the people and the situations make it very different from previous films that rested on marriages and related functions,” says the director.
(From left) Tanvi Ram, Niranjana Anoop, Adityan Chandrasekhar, Ashwin and Basil Joseph. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Shot at Payyannur in Kannur, where the director hails from, the film began in July and was completed by August, in roughly one schedule.
enkilam chandrike Released on 17 February.