Interviews

Thaneer Mathan Dinangal - An unusual school story

Sajin Shriijth

We had reported earlier that Vineeth Sreenivasan and Kumbalangi Nights-fame Mathew Thomas will be starring in Thaneer Mathan Dinangal, directed by debutant Girish AD. The filming was concluded recently and the makers are planning to release it by the last week of this month. 

The film’s trailer dropped online a few days ago, giving viewers a glimpse of an exuberant teacher (Vineeth), a love-struck student (Mathew), and Anaswara Rajan as the girl of Mathew’s dreams.

Speaking to Express, the film’s co-producer Shebin Backer describes it as an unusual school-based story. “Mathews plays the only student in this school who develops a hostile attitude towards this teacher. He can’t stand the sight of him. So, the entire film then becomes about the amusing situations that arise from this conflict. It’s a simple, light-hearted film intended to make the audience feel good for two hours.”

Shebin added that this is the first time that Vineeth has done such a character. He hopes the actor’s performance will fetch appreciation from all corners. Aside from Mathew, Anaswara, Vineeth, Irshad, and Nisha Sarang, most of the cast is made up of newcomers. “Every actor has performed well, especially the newcomers. It never felt like the freshers were doing this for the first time,” says Shebin.

One of the few producers in contemporary Malayalam cinema blessed with an eye for good talents and scripts, Shebin is known for his association with critically acclaimed films such as Charlie and Take Off. Shebin is co-producing the film with its editor Shameer Muhammed and cinematographer Jomon T John. Interestingly, Jomon made his debut with the Vineeth-starrer Chaapa Kurishu.

“Given Jomon and Shameer’s involvement, it goes without saying the film won’t be lacking in the technical department. I have high expectations from this film,” says Shebin, who met the two collaborators while working on Charlie. “The three of us share a similar, positive vibe, and we had talked about producing a film together whenever we got the chance.”

The film’s script was jointly written by Girish AD and Dinoy Paulose. Shebin was convinced of Girish’s talent after coming across his short film Vishuddha Ambrossey. “Girish is a remarkably talented chap. His contributions, along with that of Shameer and Jomon, cannot be stressed enough. They knew how to communicate with the actors.”

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