Kishkindha Kaandam director Dinjith Ayyathan: A filmmaker's second film defines his mettle

Kishkindha Kaandam, the fourth book of the Ramayana, unfolds Rama and Lakshmana's quest for Sita, drawing them to the vanara (monkey) realm of Kishkindha. Here, themes of friendship, loyalty, and virtue intertwine, while the story focuses on forging alliances and preparing for the impending confrontation with Ravana, setting the stage for the epic's climactic battles. Asif Ali's latest film, releasing today, shares its title with this eventful chapter from the mythological epic.

However, according to its director Dinjith Ayyathan, the film has no direct connection to the Ramayana, despite a fleeting mention of Hanuman and Sugriva by Asif's character in one of its trailers. "The story is set in a reserve forest and revolves around the lives of its inhabitants. While these characters are surrounded by monkeys, the film is not about them, despite the tagline, 'A tale of three wise monkeys.' The meaning behind this tagline becomes clear upon watching the film," says the filmmaker, while adding, "The only similarity to the chapter from the Ramayana is that both feature unusual events surrounding a forest that profoundly impact the characters."

Dinjith is confident that the film has many surprise elements and falls into the genre of a mystery thriller with family elements woven in. "We believe Kishkindha Kaandam's narrative will continually engage audiences, keeping them guessing about what will happen next." When asked if the upcoming film addresses sensitive themes like his directorial debut Kakshi Amminippilla (2019), which also starred Asif, Dinjith states, "There is no social messaging intended in Kishkindha Kaandam. This film blends a mystery with the emotional dynamics between a father and a son."

Dinjith explains that the five-year gap before his sophomore outing was due to multiple factors. "One is that the second film truly defines a filmmaker's mettle. Another is that post-pandemic, attracting audiences to theatres has become more challenging as they seek more engaging content now." The filmmaker adds, "Although many advised me to make my second film as quickly as possible, I was waiting for the right script that genuinely excited me." Dinjith also shares that after Kakshi Amminippilla, COVID-19 struck the following year, during which he and the film's cinematographer Bahul Ramesh were brainstorming ideas in Chennai. "We initially considered another script written by Bahul, his first attempt at penning a script, but he soon presented a different idea and completed the initial draft of Kishkindha Kaandam within eight days. That draft immediately excited me and made me decide that it should be my second film."

Dinjith feels that his extensive experience in animation before diving into filmmaking, combined with Bahul’s primary role as a cinematographer, contributes to a shared clarity on the film's visual grammar. "I fully storyboard my films, which streamlines the shooting process as we both are aligned on shot selections and scene staging. We followed this approach in Kakshi Amminippilla and have done the same for Kishkindha Kaandam, both of which were shot by Bahul."

While they began pre-production work for the film, their biggest challenge was finding the right house set in a dense forest, where Asif's character and his family reside. "Without such a forest and house, the film would not have been possible as they are central to the plot. We wanted an old mansion that wasn’t exactly the traditional Nair tharavadu but had some modern architectural sensibilities too. Although the story is set near Nilambur, we found very few houses that matched our needs. Many such houses are now dilapidated, and our search was extensive." They later found a house in Kasaragod that they liked, but the owner was unwilling to permit filming. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, according to the filmmaker. "The delay in finding the right location eventually led us to an old mansion near Cherpulassery, belonging to the Olappamanna family, and fortunately, it was green and lush rather than yellow at the time by the time we finalised this house for shooting," says Dinjith with a sense of satisfaction, having achieved what he set out to do, despite the challenges posed by intermittent rains.

When it came to casting, Dinjith shares that Asif was the first to join the film, as he had always been the most accessible actor for him to narrate a story to, even before his debut film. "As in Kakshi Amminippilla, where he played a character that marked a welcome departure for him, Asif takes on another mature role in Kishkindha Kaandam, although with more intense shades." Speaking about Aparna Balamurali’s casting, Dinjith says, "We wanted an actress in her 30s for a character who marries late and has a comparatively larger physique than others her age. Aparna fit the bill perfectly."

Dinjith is particularly enthusiastic about discussing the casting of Vijayaraghavan as Appu Pillai, a retired military officer. "Even though Vijayaraghavan ettan was in Kakshi Amminippilla, he was not initially part of our plans for Kishkindha Kaandam. He plays an intense and complex character reminiscent of the roles once portrayed by Thilakan or Nedumudi Venu—characters that are rare in contemporary Malayalam cinema." After careful consideration, they finalised Vijayaraghavan on director Fazil's recommendation to cast a versatile veteran actor capable of handling the character's intricacies. "Once that suggestion from Fazil sir came, there was no looking beyond Vijayaraghavan ettan," says Dinjith, while also revealing that Bahul often draws inspiration and references from old films and characters while writing. "He actually wrote the character of Appu Pilla with the late NN Pillai sir (Vijayaraghavan's father) in mind, which is quite interesting, considering we coincidentally ended up casting Vijayaraghavan ettan for the role," he says. Dinjith assures that audiences will witness one of Vijayaraghavan's finest performances in Kishkindha Kaandam, possibly even surpassing his State Award-winning role in Pookkaalam (2023).

As Kishkindha Kaandam hits theatres today, Dinjith feels that the delays and challenges from the project's inception to its release were ultimately beneficial. "I never imagined one of my films would be released during the Onam festival, which makes me incredibly happy," says the filmmaker. He also hopes that ARM, Kondal, and his film will collectively attract large audiences to the theatres for the festival.