It was not, as one might imagine, a pothole that put the idea of the film into Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval’s head. But he was on the road, travelling somewhere, when he thought of an accident that might occur because of no fault of his. How will he then approach the court, he wondered, the vague idea of a script forming in his mind. Nna Thaan Case Kodu – the film he eventually wrote and directed – released last Thursday, bringing with it an unexpected controversy over potholes, angering supporters of the ruling Left front in Kerala, some of them calling for a boycott of the film. It died down when the film was welcomed and loved for its wonderful treatment, and explanations and peace talks came from leaders of the party. In all that time, however, Ratheesh went through a lot of stress.
“When a problem occurs, we try to root out the peripheral cause, the immediate reason. But we don’t try to get rid of the root of the problem. That has been the idea behind the film. The pothole on the road and the minister responsible for it in the film were simply tools to tell that story. It never meant that all ministers are bad or that all thieves are good,” Ratheesh tells TNM in an interview.
The thief he mentions is the film’s main character – Rajeevan, played by noted actor Kunchacko Boban. Rajeevan, who had changed his ways after beginning a relationship, gets mixed up in a court case. It is a sort of freak accident where many things go wrong, starting with a truck that loses control because of a pothole on the road, hits a bicycle, swerves and hits a rickshaw, which almost hits Rajeevan. He jumps a fence to escape getting hit but gets bitten by the dogs of the house he jumped into. It is a bit of a complication, but not one that cannot happen, and definitely not one that can’t come to court, Ratheesh was assured by the many lawyers and experts he spoke to. A major chunk of the film then takes place in a courtroom, unusually witty and strangely appealing.
“I had to do a lot of research because I don’t know how court proceedings happen. So between every few pages I’d be stuck, and make calls and refer to law books. I also wanted the story told with humour, because courtroom procedures can be dry and you need something to hold the attention of the viewers,” says Ratheesh, whose first and second films – Android Kunjappan Ver 5.25 and Kanakam Kamini Kalaham – also relied heavily on humour.
“I’m not comfortable telling a serious story other than through humour. I’m not sure how it will be accepted. Humour is a medium I’m comfortable with,” Ratheesh admits.
Days before the release of the movie, Kunchacko surprised those who follow Malayalam movies with a song and dance from the film. He is one of the few male actors in Malayalam known for his dancing skills but in the song he is seen throwing his limbs around aimlessly, like a grinder that went out of control, to the beats of the old film song ‘Devadoothar paadi’.
Ratheesh figured that would be a good character introduction, he says. He and the team were revealing bit by bit what the movie was going to be about – a teaser, a trailer, a song. The poster release on the day the movie came out was only the final step. Ratheesh had no idea it would start a controversy when he thought of a catchy line to go on the poster – “Theatre ilekulla vazhiyil kuzhiyundu. Ennalum vannekkane” -- There are potholes on the way to the theatre. Still, do come.
Pothole-ridden roads have always been a major problem in Kerala, just like in the rest of the country. Road repairs and the inevitable damages in the next bout of rain recur every year. But when the poster came out, certain supporters of the CPI(M) – the party leading the Left Democratic Front in Kerala – thought it was a direct insult of the government’s work and that the film was a campaign by those opposing the government. Posts were written against the film, some going to the extent of calling for a boycott.
“My fear had been something else. Since this is primarily a court drama, I was afraid if any of the court scenes would be misinterpreted as insulting to the court. And if that happened, there would be no scope to even send an appeal. Even the day the title was locked – Nna Thaan Case Kodu (meaning, sue me) – I was worried it would all end up as a case in the court. But what happened instead was something I didn’t expect at all. It really saddened me. The real issues that the film tried to address were reduced to much less, and another kind of politics was raised,” Ratheesh says.
There was quick damage control. Minister of Public Works Mohammed Riyas was one of the first to clear the air – potholes are a reality, he said, and the poster tagline should be seen as an advertisement for the film and not taken seriously. Television channels discussed the topic and Ratheesh spoke about his intentions. An LDF supporter and communications expert Prem Kumar, who was one of the first to oppose the poster, too later admitted that the film was well-made.
“Prem and I spoke later on. All of this is a misunderstanding that rose in the span of an hour of releasing the poster. Once the Minister spoke up, all the misunderstanding was cleared,” Ratheesh says.
Many of those who worked in the film are CPI(M) members and supporters, and none of them had felt “such a confusion”, Ratheesh adds. A good number of these actors are new, chosen from crowds and auditions after a lot of hard work by Rajesh Madhavan – a wonderful actor and casting director. They participated in a 15-day workshop to remove their fears of acting in front of the camera, and so close to a star like Kunchacko. The female lead – Gayathrie – too is a known face, active in Tamil films.
The film is set in Kasargod and the actors, chosen locally, speak the adorable slang. Ratheesh says he chose the district because it was close to where he grew up – Kannur. “The place and its ways are familiar to me and it gives me an advantage when I write a story set in Kasargod.”