Ganapathi: Manjummel Boys would not have existed without Kanmani Anbodu
It has been exactly a month since Manjummel Boys released and the film has already shattered almost all the existing box office records in Malayalam cinema. Currently the highest grossing Malayalam film, it is also the first from the language to earn Rs 200 crores in theatres alone. Apart from a successful run in the home state Kerala, the film is having a dream run in Tamil Nadu, where the audience have lapped it up as their own. The reception in the neighbouring state has been so tremendous that the team members have been camping there for the last few weeks to enjoy all the adulation. As we catch hold of Ganapathi, one of the film's lead actors and casting director, he is returning from Chennai after an interactive session with college students. "It all feels surreal," says Ganapathi, who is also the brother of the film's director, Chidambaram. "We never doubted the film's potential, but never expected it to scale such unprecedented heights. The response in Tamil Nadu has especially been astonishing. I guess our Tamil-sounding names, Ganapathi and Chidambaram, have also made us their favourites," laughs the youngster, who has come a long way from being the mischievous 'Paalum Palazhavum' kid in Vinodayathra (2007).
Excerpts:
You must've seen the project getting shape from scratch. What were your initial thoughts on adapting a real-life survival story?
After Jan.E.Man, we knew people would be expecting another comedy film from Chidu, but we were thinking of what else we could offer. So, when Shawn (Antony), the producer of Jan.E.Man, told us about the Manjummel boys and their act of bravery, we were immediately interested. Although a few Ernakulam natives already knew this story, we still wondered how this incident, which even got national-level recognition, went largely unnoticed. That was one of the major inciting factors. Credits to Shawn and Soubikka for agreeing to produce a film of such massive scale without any big star. The only stars in the film are its technical crew members—cinematographer Shyju Khalid, music director Sushin Shyam, production designer Ajayan Chalissery and editor Vivek Harshan.
You co-wrote Jan.E.Man with Chidambaram, but why weren't you part of the writing of Manjummel Boys?
My involvement in Jan.E.Man's writing was more on the humour side. It's a dialogue-heavy film and I was helping develop the conversations when Chidu asked me to join the writing. But for Manjummel Boys, he entrusted me with the casting. Since it's already a challenging project, he didn't want to go through the trouble of finding the actors as well.
What were your criteria for finding the suitable actors?
During pre-production, we interviewed each one of the real Manjummel boys separately and documented all their versions. That was my primary source to help me get a fair idea of everyone in the gang. We also spent a few days with them, during which I observed their mannerisms and interpersonal dynamics. We knew that to replicate the same chemistry, we would need actors who share a similar strong bond. So, the criteria were a mix of similarities in physical features, mannerisms and their offscreen rapport.
In real life, Subash is much taller and heavier than Kuttan, which would've made the rescue operations tougher. But in the film, these characters are played by Sreenath Bhasi and Soubin Shahir, who are almost of the same build. Why is it that?
Since Kuttan and Subash are the two most important characters in the film, we wanted familiar faces for those parts. It was a compromise for the sake of commercial viability. We wanted Kuttan to be played by someone who the audience would root for. Though we had initially approached a few actors, including some of our close friends, nothing materialised. The search lasted for over six months. At that time, Bhasi was going through a tough phase, so, we thought, why not cast him? We've known him for years, and we also knew people would love the Bhasi-Soubin combo. I believe it was destined that we pull Bhasi out of the rut just like how Subhash gets rescued by his friends.
Could you explain how you arrived at the other lead actors?
From my interactions with the group, I knew Sixon was the most lively among them. Balu is also a similar ball of energy, who loves cracking jokes and goofing around. He was an instant choice.
For Sixon's brother Siju, we thought of a few options, but eventually decided to approach Jean chettan, who is also Balu's cousin brother. So far, he has only been offered serious roles, probably because of his dominating physique and beard. But since we've seen his fun side, we knew it would be refreshing if he plays Siju's role, that too without a beard.
Sudheesh, the character Deepak Parambol plays in the film, has an OCD issue. Interestingly, Deepak ettan is also like that in real life. Even after taking a shower, he would apply oil or some cream on his hair to look shiny.
Chandu's character Abhilash is very different from the others and has a lot of peculiarities. So, for that character, I relied on physical features beyond mannerisms. Chandhu has an interesting pair of eyes and I thought he would be apt.
I've known Vishnu Reghu from Kammattipaadam days and I've always noticed his energy and spontaneity. The character he played, Jinson, is also a similar guy, full of zing.
For my part, it was Chidu who took the call. Krishnakumar's old look had some similarities with me, which we further accentuated with the French beard.
If you notice, we don't begin the film by introducing each character and establishing them using conventional tropes. We straightaway cut into a certain point in their life. So, it was important that these actors already have a good chemistry. We were always conscious of that from the beginning.
Khalid Rahman's casting was unusual, but turned out to be a brilliant choice. Tell us about that...
I've sought roles in some of Rahman ikka's films, but beyond that I didn't know him personally. I saw him perform for the first time during the shoot of Sulaikha Manzil. Though he did just one scene, I was impressed with his effortlessness. While casting for Prasad's character in Manjummel Boys, I somehow felt Rahman ikka would be apt for it. Prasad was an outsider, unfamiliar to the gang, like how Rahman ikka was to most of us till then. I'm happy that people are praising his performance.
Besides the 11 main actors, the film also has a lot of prominence for the Tamil actors. How did you find them?
I was looking for a mix of familiar and new faces to play the Tamil roles. I had watched Kaithi and was impressed with George Maryan's performance in it. That's how we got him for the tea shop owner's role. At that time, he was simultaneously working on Leo. I had earlier worked with Ramsey annan (Ramachandran Durairaj) and had a good equation with him. In fact, he was the one who helped me out from a major issue with locals in Madurai. After that, we bonded like brothers and I wanted him to be part of Manjummel Boys. He also helped me with casting the other Tamil actors. Though I had shared an audition call in a few Tamil cinema-based WhatsApp groups, there were close to 700 entries. I shortlisted some of them, but wasn't still convinced. I decided to head to Chennai to conduct proper auditions with the help of Ramsey annan. That's how we finalised the police officials, forest officer, doctor, and the photographer. Sasikumar, who played constable Kathiresan in the film, was the only one found through WhatsApp. He is also my personal favourite among all the actors. Chidu was very adamant about getting that casting right as the character goes through a transformation with a lot of scope for performance.
Did you see the video of actor Vijay Muthu (who plays the SI in the film) breaking down while talking about his decades of efforts in cinema?
Yes, I saw that, it was extremely emotional. But we didn't cast him because of the struggles he went through. It was purely based on his calibre. He has excellent range as an actor, and I'm glad we could lend a helping hand for him. That's what this film is all about.
As a casting director, was your responsibility limited to picking the right talents or did you help them perform as well?
I was initially anxious as it's a big film and I didn't want the shoot to be delayed just because the actors couldn't perform. So, for the first few days, I used to help people who are new to this process and ensure they were comfortable. A lot of them were first-timers, particularly those in the Manjummel portions. Similarly, grooming the kids was a bit challenging. We had initially finalised a set of kids, but once the swimming sequence was included, we had to find a new bunch who could act as well as swim.
Casting director is not a common designation in Malayalam cinema. Finalising the actors from 700-odd entries sounds like a tedious process...
It is. After a point, we get saturated and our judgement goes for a toss. In a big-scale film like this, you can't afford to make mistakes and that adds up to the responsibility. But gradually, I started enjoying the process. It's an art to identify the right talents and manage them. I remember, during the Kodaikanal portions, the junior artists would go missing in the midst of shoot, forcing us to find replacements from there. In fact, the old woman who blesses Subash in the end was picked from the spot as her face had a certain glow on her face. But as it turned out, she kept messing up the lines. Thankfully, it came through and I was delighted to see the final output. So, yes, casting is tough, but I would continue doing it for people in my close circles.
One of the film's best moments is when the Kanmani Anbodu song comes back in the end. Could you tell us how and when that genius call was taken?
Right from the inception, we knew Kamal Haasan and his Guna is the soul of Manjummel Boys. The whole incident happened because the boys wanted to see the place where Kamal shot the film. So, Chidu kept stressing on the importance of Guna and the song in this film's context. He had the idea of incorporating the song much before he had even started scripting. When he told us that the song would reappear right at the moment Subhash is lifted from the cave, we were all instantly thrilled. That whole sequence was planned meticulously with every shot division designed to ensure the visuals sync with the lyrics. We knew this film would not exist without the song, so we bought the rights and ensured everything was smooth.
Which was the most memorable moment during your meeting with Kamal Haasan?
For us, the real success was when Kamal sir said his eyes welled up in the climax. After meeting us, he even arranged another screening for his friends. We were always hopeful of a validation from him, but didn't expect it to be so surreal. Not just Kamal sir, even Rajini sir loved the film. He called Chidu when he was in Dubai and appreciated the work. He's currently shooting in Hyderabad and has promised to meet us soon.
People like Shyju Khalid and Ajayan Chalissery have praised you as an efficient assistant director. Any plans to turn independent?
It has been just 4-5 years since the filmmaking interest germinated in me. That's how I did the short film Onnu Chirikkoo during the lockdown. I do have a few ideas to direct, but I'm not forcing anything now. I never planned to be a writer or casting director; the plan has always been to be associated with cinema forever.
Your take on Jeyamohan's outburst against Manjummel Boys?
I prefer not to comment much on it, because the film is doing extremely well and his words aren't going to stop that. I would have addressed it if his comments had an impact on the film's run, but not now. As creators, we could have easily omitted the drinking part and shown the boys as purists, but that's not the point. Just because people drink doesn't mean they are socially irresponsible.