A Dubai dweller for years, Thamar KV is used to spending weekends with a circle of friends and family there, much like the protagonists of his film 1001 Nunakal. The story idea for the film, one he has been thinking about for long, came from these gatherings of friends, he tells TNM in an interview. In the script he co-wrote with Hashim Sulaiman, he even used some of their names. Thamar, who has been making a living out of ad films for years, is no novice to the art of filmmaking. His well-made debut feature holds proof of this.
"I have been lucky to get Salim Ahamed – a reputed filmmaker – on board as producer. I also got a good crew with me – Nishad Yousuf doing the editing, Jithin Stanislaus the cinematography and Yaksan and Neha composing the music. The art direction (by Ashik S) too has been splendid - we got an empty villa to shoot, and we made it a home, giving thought to the colour of the walls and every last prop," Thamar says, sharing the credit with his team.
The film had its premiere at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) last year and is scheduled to go to other festivals in the coming months. Its OTT release is happening on Friday, August 18. Thamar says that 1001 Nunakal was made as an OTT film. Most of the film takes place in the premises of a grand house, indoors and outdoors, making you wonder about the couple playing hosts and the kind of money they made. Vishnu Agasthya, a known face among a bunch of mostly new actors, plays one of the hosts. Remya Suresh is another familiar face, playing the domestic worker. They welcome a number of friends and family into their house when the building in which they had lived burnt to the ground in a fire. These early sequences are introduced in a few monologues, building your curiosity, the film gently luring you in.
Watch: Trailer of the film
It is hard to believe that Thamar has not made a feature film before or assisted a director. His making, he says, must have been helped by his years in the ad industry. Even the decision to cast mostly new actors comes from the requirement of the script more than convenience. "If it is known actors, the audience may be able to predict how their characters will behave. It will take away the element of suspense," Thamar explains.
The element of suspense begins when one among the friends suggests a game that is supposed to be fun but soon turns dark: every couple gathered there should reveal some lie they have told their partner and one that their partner still believes is true. The scenario is slightly similar to the one in Jeethu Joseph's 12th Man, another OTT film that came out last year, in which too, a number of friends gather together and begin to play a game that turns ugly. Jeethu's film was in turn inspired by an Italian film Perfect Strangers.
Thamar KV
"The story of 1001 Nunakal was written in 2016-17 and a leading producer I sent it to told me about Perfect Strangers. We decided to drop the project then, thinking that it would otherwise seem like a 'copy'. But when COVID-19 struck and when we were again on the lookout for stories, some of my friends in the industry like Zakariya and Khalid Rahman said that I should proceed because there is originality in the idea. We began auditions when I heard about Jeethu Joseph's film with a similar premise being shot. We spoke to each other, and realised that the two films said two different things," Thamar says.
His film is not exactly a thriller that Jeethu's whodunit was. Ayirathonnu (1001) Nunakal is more of a family drama, Thamar insists.
The film releases on SonyLIV on Friday.