Shanavas K Bavakutty: Oru Kattil Oru Muri will be pleasant unlike my earlier works

Shanavas K Bavakutty was a political activist engaged in the Ponnani municipality when he witnessed an interfaith love story creating tremors in the locality. An avid cinephile, Shanavas drew inspiration from that moving incident to put together his first film, Kismath. The film, starring Shane Nigam and Shruthy Menon, emerged as a critical and commercial success, besides winning Shanavas the Kerala State Film Award for Best Debut Director in 2016. All it took was just one film for the professionally untrained Shanavas to prove his mettle as a filmmaker. But unlike most of his peers, the director didn't want to rush it. His second film, Thottappan, was released three years later, and fast-forwarding another four years from that, he is now back with his third film, Oru Kattil Oru Muri. The director, however, is not bothered by the numbers as he believes in the adage, 'quality over quantity'. "This is my eighth year in the industry and I've done just two films, but what loss does that mean for Malayalam cinema? Nothing. I'm in no hurry to do films. I would rather wait for the right subject that satisfies the creator in me. I really enjoy the process of listening to different ideas, developing them into scripts and then putting together a team to help execute it."

Shanavas' new film Oru Kattil Oru Muri is written by Reghunath Paleri, one of Malayalam cinema's most legendary scenarists, whose writing credits include classics like My Dear Kuttichathan, Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu, Piravi, Meleparambil Aanveedu, and Vanaprastham. A huge fan of Paleri's works, Shanavas considers himself "blessed" to direct a script penned by the veteran. "I've always looked up to Paleri sir and used to interact with him even before becoming a filmmaker. During those days, I would often call him to discuss his films and writings." This bond led to Paleri making his acting debut with Thottappan, and now his comeback to scripting. "Though Paleri sir hasn't been active in the industry, he's still a treasure trove of extraordinary ideas that are in tune with today's audience and their sensibilities. Oru Kattil Oru Muri's subject was one among them that I found the most interesting, and I forced him to write it for me. When he accepted my request, we didn't have a production house or financial support, but he still did it for me. This film is his token of love for me." Sharing more on their "democratic writer-director equation", Shanavas adds, "He is always open for inputs and discussions. The warmth that he exudes makes it easier for me to approach him with suggestions. Even though there's a big age gap between us, his thoughts and energy are much younger than me."
 
Shanavas calls Oru Kattil Oru Muri an intense relationship drama that primarily revolves around the characters played by Hakkim Shah, Priyamvada and Poornima Indrajith. Explaining how he arrived at the lead cast, the director says, "I always try to work with people who I'm comfortable with. I had initially discussed this subject with a few male actors, but things didn't fall into place for some reason or the other. It was during that time I watched Pranaya Vilasam and I loved Hakkim's performance in it. It was only later that I realised he is the same impressive actor from the Tamil film, Kadaiseela Biriyani. So, I didn't have to think any further. It was around this time that Priyamvada called me and requested to audition her for one of the leads in the film. I had earlier worked with her in Thottappan, which earned her a Kerala State award, so I didn't have to audition her to know her potential. She was already a proven actor."

Poornima Indrajith plays a character named Akkamma in the film, which according to Shanavas, is a unique and challenging role. "It's a Tamil character who's around 45-50 years old. We first thought of several yesteryear actors, but I wanted someone fresh who hadn't done a role like this before. That's when I came across an Instagram reel shared by Poornima and I thought she would be apt for the role. Though she loved the narration, she was concerned if I was making the right decision by casting her in such a big role. She felt someone more popular would help the film commercially, but I assured her that she'd be perfect for the part."

Shanavas, who trained himself in filmmaking just by watching a wide variety of films, is eager to attempt new genres going forward. "I'm a huge fan of humour films like Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu and would love to do something in that space. As I mentioned, Paleri sir is one of the people I admire the most. Look at the range of subjects he handled. Though nowhere close to his versatility, I'm also trying my best to attempt something new in each of my films. While my other two films had a raw nature, Oru Kattil Oru Muri will be more pleasant. It is indeed a serious take on relationships, but it will have the light-hearted elements that people would expect in a Reghunath Paleri film."