Cinema in the spotlight
Vineeth Sreenivasan zooms into 50 years of cinema in his new film, Varshangalkku Shesham, through the lives of two friends
Two friends with stardust in their eyes travel from Kerala to Chennai, the Mecca of filmmaking in the Seventies. Varshangalkku Shesham, written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, trails the two as they travel from Kozhikode to Chennai, hoping to make a mark in cinema. Reaching theatres on April 11, the film is about their struggle and success as they follow their heart.
Varshangalkku Shesham zooms into Kodambakkam through the lives of Venu and Murali, essayed by Dhyan Sreenivasan and Pranav Mohanlal respectively. “Murali motivates Venu to go to Chennai. Covering five decades, the film throws light on cinema by charting the lives of the two,” says Vineeth.
Since Vineeth’s father, actorwriterdirector Sreenivasan, had made the same journey from Kerala in the Seventies, the question follows whether it is based on his tryst with cinema.
“Not completely. I have listened to his stories about his early life in Chennai and also the experiences of many of his contemporaries. During my school days, I used to be an ardent reader of popular Malayalam film magazines such as Nana, Vellinakshatram and Chithrabhumi which carried articles and interviews of those working in cinema. Most of the news on cinema was shared only through these magazines ; those stories were the inspirations,” says Vineeth.
“Before I became a resident of Chennai, it was a place that had always fascinated me. I had stayed for short periods in Kodambakkam, Ashok Nagar and so on… I believe that Varshangalkku Shesham has captured that mood of tinsel town in the seventies and eighties.”
Although there have been Malayalam movies that have focused on the working of the Southern film industry, Vineeth maintains Varshangalkku Shesham will be a new experience.
Starring many of the actors he worked with in his previous film, Hridayam, Varshangalkku Shesham has a huge star cast.
Nivin Pauly, Aju Varghese, Basil Joseph, Pranav Mohanlal,
Neeraj Madhav, Dhyan Sreenivasan, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Neeta Pillai, Arjun Lal and Vineeth are among them. Music director Shaan Rahman makes his debut as an actor in the film. “There are others who do some role shifting in the movie.”
Reunion on screen
Shot in 40 days on sets in Kerala, Coimbatore and Pollachi, the movie recreates the Kodambakkam and studios of Chennai at Aroor, Kochi. “
He introduces musician Amrit Ramnath, who makes his debut as a music director.
Vineeth has a reputation for remaining calm on the sets even when things around him go haywire. Is there a secret about his Zen? “Generally, there is stress when the lights go off or when there is a delay in schedule. There is no point in getting worked up and making everybody stressed. However, the fact is that I enjoy the process of working with all of them. I enjoy making films!”
I like working with newcomers as they bring in fresh perspectives and ideas