Exclusive! Mammootty’s Rorschach demands the audience’s undivided attention to be engaging: Nisam Basheer

For a majority of Malayalam filmmakers, working with superstars such as Mammootty and Mohanlal is the dream. Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha filmmaker Nisam Basheer accomplished this in his sophomore venture Rorschach and that too, by getting the megastar to be a part of a movie that is novel in its concept and storytelling.

On the eve of the psychological thriller’s release, OTTplay caught up with the filmmaker. While the director is tight-lipped about the movie’s plot and its central characters, he reveals how he had approached the project and what prompted him to take up the film, which is scripted by Adventures of Omanakuttan and Ibilis writer Samir Abdul. Excerpts from the interview.

Rorschach is your second movie after Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha, but it’s a different beast altogether, with it involving multiple perspectives. How did you approach the film?

The approach wasn’t any different from Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha, as it began with a catchy one-liner from (scriptwriter) Samir Abdul. It was a risky subject and that’s what interested me. I knew it was hard but if we could pull it off, it would be great. So, we developed the script and along with it the characters. After that is when we proceeded with the casting and thought Mammukka would be great as the protagonist. That’s how we approached him.

Also read: Mammootty: Rorschach is a psychological revenge-thriller told through eight characters 

Mammootty had said that the film revolves around eight characters who are equally important. When having a star as Mammootty play one of those roles, the focus would always be on him, irrespective of others’ performances. How much of an advantage was that, especially while doing a thriller?

Actually, in this film, the script is the centre of attention. What’s good for the film, where we should direct the audience’s attention and how we could circumvent that, are the elements that we took into account, while developing the script. That is also the risk element I had earlier mentioned. People keep guessing this is where the story is headed, but I believe we have tried to ensure that the movie goes to unpredictable places. The entire film is something novel and that is also its biggest risk.

The trailers and photos that have been released promise an entirely new visual experience too.

Rorschach is one of those movies where every department has fired full cylinder – be it make-up, sound, cinematography, music, acting or writing. The script had that space for each department to perform and shine. Everyone understood that during the pre-production and put in the required effort, and that shows in the output.

Kettyolaanu Ente Maalakha tackled a pertinent subject but in an engaging manner. How would you compare Rorschach to your debut film?

Kettyolaanu Ente Malaka had a lot of instances where people could laugh, be entertained and emotionally connect to it. The audience, according to me, might not emotionally connect with Rorschach despite it being a gripping film. But I can assure you that it will be a different experience – for the mind of the audience. It’s made with a totally different thought than Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha.

Rorschach is a film that requires the audience to be involved too?

Definitely. It requires the audience’s undivided focus and attention to connect the dots. Only then will it be an engaging and entertaining experience.

It’s a dream for most filmmakers to work with Mammootty in at least one movie. How was your experience doing it in a movie like this?

It was a dream for me too and I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. By God’s grace, it did. Right after our first narration, he agreed to come onboard and also decided to produce the movie. Even while working in the film, everyone was involved. Mammukka never made it evident that he was a megastar; he was just like everyone else on the sets. Of course, he is a revered figure but he made sure everyone was at ease and doing their job. So, it was an enjoyable and a cool process.