In comparison with other industries, Mollywood has had very few anthology movies to boast of. Of the very little made, probably except Kerala Cafe (2009) and Anju Sundarikal (2013), few others had made a mark or rather did well at the box office. But, the discouraging figures clearly don't bother veteran director Lenin Rajendran. Unmindful of its financial viability, the director believes such movies ought to be made.
"Crossroad is aimed at promoting good cinema, then women empowerment. We are proud of the venture," says the director who helms Crossroad, a portmanteau film promoting feminity, that will hit the screens this September.
The venture is the brainchild of Forum for Better Films. It was during one of the meetings of the forum that the idea of Crossroad was born. "Some of them came with wonderful scripts, all of them centred on this wonderful theme. It is the story of women and the crossroad in their lives," he adds.
But, won't women-oriented movies come with their set of prejudices? Lenin Rajendran agrees but clarifies that Crossroad is every bit a commercial venture."The only difference Crossroad has with other movies is that the protagonist is a woman and it is 'her story'. Otherwise, it has every flavour of your normal entertainers," says the director.
Besides Lenin Rajendran, the movie has Madhupal, Nemom Pushparaj, Avira Rebecca, Albert, Sashi Paravoor, Ashok P Nath, Babu Thiruvalla, Pradeep Nair and newbie Nayana Sooryan wielding the megaphone.
Lenin Rajendran is very vocal about Nayana's participation in the anthology. "For the venture to be complete, we needed a female director and the search ended on Nayana. We have very few women directors in Malayalam. I had known Nayana for some time. She had assisted me and director Kamal for a few years. And, the script she brought to us was very exciting and novel. We are very impressed with Nayana's Pakshikalude Manam, " says the director.
Women-centric movies are often bracketed into "fighting the odds" genre. How different will Crossroad be from the run-of-the-mill women-centric subjects that we see in celluloid? "This movie is a cross section of our society. Naturally, most issues which plague woman will be reflected here too. That said, Crossroad is about women liberating themselves from shackles too. Like in Maunam, directed by Babu Thiruvalla, the protagonist, who is forced to turn a nun due to certain circumstances, finally break free and find liberation," says the director about how Crossroad is not only about dark and broody themes but about silver linings too.
The movie has an enviable star cast that includes Padmapriya, Isha Talwar, Mamta Mohandas and Manasa Radhakrishnan. It will also have Manoj K Jayan and Vijay Babu in prominent roles.