Thankamani director Ratheesh Reghunandan: 'Journalism background led me towards dark themes'

Trapped inside a house, Shiny (Durga Krishna) and Kiran (Dhyan Sreenivasan) face a blood-soaked ordeal against an unmistakably elfin, yet revenge-hungry Kuttychayan (Indrans). Udal's nerve-racking third act unfolds with unabashed violence, leading to rewarding payoffs. The film's premise might seem inspired by home invasion thrillers like Don't Breathe at face value. In spite of that, Ratheesh Reghunandan left a mark with a twisted narrative having multiple layers in terms of reading the characters. Though not a big commercial success, Udal announced the arrival of a promising filmmaker.

For a guy with his humble rural origins from a southern village in Kerala, Ratheesh's journey as a journalist-turned-filmmaker without assisting anyone or undergoing any formal training with respect to the medium has been a rollercoaster in itself. He attributes his penchant for telling uncomfortable stories, which can also be read along with his admiration for the likes of Vetrimaaran and Anurag Kashyap, to his previous vocation. “I think my journalism background naturally leads me towards such dark themes that we pick up from the happenings we see or hear around us. I arrived at the stories for both my films in that way, which are inspired by real life events.“

It becomes all the more interesting to know that his considerable-yet-fateful stint as a seasoned journalist, too, was after winning Amritha TV's 2008 edition of Best Citizen Journalist, a news-based reality show to discover talent among people with no formal background in journalism.

Even if he had access to the people associated with his true passion across multiple media houses in Kerala, Ratheesh still wasn't in a position to leave his job to chase his dream. His migration abroad is what finally found a new lease to his aspirations. "Years after my experience as a television journalist, I went on to work as a radio jockey in Dubai, which gave me the financial freedom to take a sabbatical and pursue cinema. But even after I left my job, it took me another five years to put together my debut film."

Two years after his noteworthy debut, Ratheesh is gearing up for the release of his sophomore directorial, Thankamani, in a larger canvas. Starring Dileep in the lead, the film is based on real-life incidents that occurred in the Idukki village of Thankamani in 1986. It supposedly revolves around the infamous riots, which erupted after a dispute between the villagers and a private bus owner. It is alleged that the villagers were subject to severe police brutality. Unlike the 1987 film Itha Samayamayi, based on the same incident, Ratheesh states that Thankamani does not delve into the political aspects of it, which rocked the state back then. "Unlike other known police atrocities that we’ve known or heard before, this incident has snowballed into many aspects over the years, including political, which even took down the incumbent government—all of which cannot be encapsulated into a single film. What I’ve chosen to tell, as per my creative prerogative as a filmmaker, is the core of this incident and how it caused deep-rooted trauma among the villagers.”

According to the filmmaker, Thankamani is a family drama with an emotional core and an adequate amount of action as well. Ratheesh gets unambiguously vocal when it comes to owning up to his responsibilities of helming a star-driven film. “It was a huge learning process, but at the same time the stakes were higher because of the budget involved," says the filmmaker as he adds about how Dileep trusted his vision after hearing the first story narration itself. "The paraphernalia of the film itself gets escalated when such a star is on board. He offered me dates immediately after hearing the base idea. He read the script only one day before the shoot. Also, his suggestions from his understanding, both as a seasoned actor and a former assistant director, have been instrumental in making this film as I envisioned it."

The one common name associated with Ratheesh's two films is cinematographer Manoj Pillai. “When I was looking for a cinematographer for Udal, I wasn’t really sure if someone established would be interested in doing a film that is set majorly inside a house. That's when a friend introduced me to Manoj Pillai, who had just finished Mamangam. He instantly liked the story, and we soon developed a rapport, which later turned into a strong bond. Despite his vast experience, he's always open to suggestions, which has also helped cover up my inexperience to a great extent."

Going forward, Ratheesh has committed a Tamil film for Super Good Films, the banner backing Thankamani, and another Malayalam film for Gokulam Films, who produced Udal. Apart from that, he's also in discussions to resume his earlier-announced Sathyan-biopic, which got delayed by the pandemic. Jayasurya will be playing the legendary actor in the film, which is to be produced by Vijay Babu.