Dinoy Paulose: Pathrosinte Padappukal is about an oddball family

The Thanneer Mathan Dinangal co-writer and actor on playing a leading man for the first time in a new comedy
Dinoy Paulose, Pathrosinte Padappukal poster
Dinoy Paulose, Pathrosinte Padappukal poster

Thanneer Mathan Dinangal (TMD) co-writer Dinoy Paulose is back with Pathrosinte Padappukal, featuring an array of well-known faces comprising Sharafudheen, Naslen, Grace Antony, Johny Antony, Ranjitha Menon, James Eliya and Suresh Krishna. Dinoy, who won raves for playing Mathew Thomas' elder brother Jaison in TMD, plays Tony, the main character in Pathrosinte Padappukal. Afzal Abdul Latheef directed the film with backing from Marikar Entertainments.

The trailer of Pathrosinte Padappukal hints at a wacky comedy populated by a colourful supporting cast. Dinoy attests to this, calling it a full-fledged family-based comedy entertainer. "Pathrosinte Padappukal revolves around Tony's conflict with his family members. This man happens to have an oddball family, and the story is about him trying to deal with the problems which originate from having to share a household with these family members who happen to be a big part of his life," says Dinoy, who wrote the script during the pandemic.

After TMD, Dinoy had planned to do a couple of other scripts, but Pathrosinte Padappukal got greenlit first. "I conceived this for the big screen, as something to bring back the crowd once theatres reopened."

Interestingly, Dinoy also considered making his directorial debut after TMD but dropped the idea as he thought it a hasty move. "I felt it wouldn't have been wise to do that at such an early stage in my career," he adds.

As for the inspiration for Pathrosinte Padappukal, he based it on characters he knows aside from imagining himself as certain characters, particularly the grandmother we saw in the trailer. "It's mostly fiction. The grandmother was born out of me trying to picture myself as a woman and how she would think and react," he laughs. "She is a far cry from the grandmothers we usually see on the screen -- the ones that constantly shower you with love and compassion. This woman isn't devoid of love, but she has her own way of doing certain things to be comfortable and happy. She would go to any extreme for that."

The team had initially thought of a different cast earlier but went with the current lineup due to availability issues. But, in retrospect, Dinoy views it as a blessing in disguise because "after seeing what this cast has pulled off," an alternate set is unimaginable for him.

Does having a successful film like TMD help get his foot in the door when pitching new scripts? "Well, pitching a script is easier, but if the story doesn't work, it can backfire," he observes. "I had pitched Pathrosinte Padappukal to a lot of people, and they all liked the story and humour, but other complications held them back, such as the reach of the cast and shooting a story of this scale during a pandemic. This one is a relatively big-budget film, mind you. But we had pitched this when people weren't certain whether theatres would reopen. It's got a wide canvas with lots of events and exterior locations."

As for the pressure of playing a lead character for the first time, Dinoy is anxious about how audiences would respond since it's Tony who "takes the story forward, the involvement of the supporting characters notwithstanding." He hopes they find it an eminently pleasurable cinema experience.

Dinoy has already completed the shoot of his forthcoming writing and starring vehicle that has debutant Kiran Anthony at the helm. The film sees him reuniting with TMD producers Jomon T John (cinematographer) and Shameer Muhammed (editor). The official title is not yet fixed.

Pathrosinte Padappukal, which has Jayesh Mohan behind the camera, Sangeeth Prathap as editor, and Jakes Bejoy on the music, is slated for a theatrical release on March 18.

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