'Rajisha set aside an entire year for June'

Rajisha Vijayan's surprising look from her upcoming film June was revealed on social media yesterday. The poster, which has her looking much younger, in a school uniform, has initiated a discussion among film buffs. Newcomer Ahamed Kabeer is directing the film.

Producer Vijay Babu, the man behind recent hits such as Angamaly Diaries and Aadu, says the film is a coming-of-age drama that traces various stages in a girl's life, beginning from her teenage years to her marriage, all within two hours. "It's about her loves, friendships, infatuations, disappointments, and all the characters and incidents she encounters in her life."

Vijay says the film was shot in the reverse order of the screenplay, with the initial portions shot later considering the physical changes some characters have to go through, including Rajisha. "We had to take a break for a few months for all the characters to lose some weight. Rajisha had to lose nine kilos for portraying June's teenage years. She had set aside an entire year for this film alone and worked very hard for it. "

Though there are some established actors in the film -- Joju George (playing Rajisha's father), Arjun Asokan and Aju Varghese -- the cast is mostly made up of newcomers. Vijay says it was a pleasure to work with them because there were no date issues. "We picked newcomers for playing characters who are present throughout the film. After selecting them, we had to train them and then create a mature look for them. Later, we asked them to take a break so that they can lose/put on weight. Everything had to look natural. Some of us used to look fat in school and then lost weight after we grew up, right? We wanted to show that sort of transformation here."

Vijay also adds that there will be a surprise guest appearance from a well-known actor in Malayalam. The film will be hitting theatres in February.