'Sayahna Varthakal is a socio-political satire'

...says debutant Arun Chandu, who is making his directorial debut with the film starring Dhyan Sreenivasan and Gokul Suresh
'Sayahna Varthakal is a socio-political satire'

Arun Chandu has almost completed shooting for Sayahna Varthakal, with just a few scenes remaining. The film stars Dhyan Sreenivasan, Gokul Suresh, and Aju Varghese in the lead. 

A former associate of director Vineeth Sreenivasan, Arun Chandu's entry in cinema happened with Vineeth's Thattathin Marayathu.

Sayahna Varthakal, he says, is a media-related story and the title is actually a reference to the title of the media channel run by Dhyan Sreenivasan's character. Gokul Suresh plays a government employee who crosses paths with Dhyan's character.

Arun has conceived the story with Sachin R Chandran contributing as the screenwriter. The dialogues have also been jointly penned by the two. Arun describes his film as a sort of socio-political satire with thriller elements. "Though it's not about journalism per se, it definitely plays a part in the narrative, given that it's about a whistleblower and the challenges he encounters when he decides to take on the system. The role of TV channels and new media will be explored through the film."

The film's core subject is related to the central government's skill development scheme. Arun had to do a significant amount of homework before tackling this "picked from the headlines" story. "Our film will address the scams that we heard about in the news recently. The irony about the whole thing is that this scheme flourished mostly in Kerala though it was primarily aimed at unemployed youngsters in North India. We intend to create an awareness about some of the unspoken issues the public aren't aware of," says Arun, who comes from a media background.

Aju Varghese will have a key role in the film, as a Malayalam celebrity named Jithu Joseph. A few portions featuring the actor are yet to be filmed, says Arun. Apart from Ernakulam, the film was also shot in Kolkata and the Nepal border. Prasanth Pillai has composed the music to the lyrics penned by Harinarayanan. The film is bankrolled by D14 Entertainments.

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