Exclusive! Halitha Shameem: I don't want to keep doing only feel-good films; I am looking forward to do thrillers and intense stories as well

Halitha Shameem's Loners, starring Arjun Das and Lijomol Jose in lead roles, was one of the segments in the anthology Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa which opened to unanimous positive response upon its direct release on Amazon Prime Video. The story of the short revolves around a young man and a young woman, who are affected by the pandemic becoming close to each other. 

In an exclusive chat with OTTplay, the filmmaker opens up about what made her come up with a short which touched upon the relevant topic of mental health in the anthology, her upcoming dream project, challenges with regard to meeting the expectations of audience, women representation in films and more. Excerpts...  

How have you been enjoying the response to Loners?

I'm glad that people liked Loners. The response has been overwhelming. People could easily relate to the rough patch they went through in their lives during the first and second lockdown. I was really moved by some of the stories and incidents I came across. 

What made you portray the aspects of loneliness and depression in the anthology?

Mental illness has been one of the prominent topics which has been widely discussed by health experts during the lockdown. The pandemic stopped us from having meaningful conversations with our dear ones. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that a stroll through the market would be a luxury for us. We were deprived of meeting someone who lives in the adjacent street. 

It was a time which taught us the value of freedom. Many aged people could communicate their issues after being confined to their homes for a long time, but the plight of kids was different. They couldn't go to school and meet their friends, nor were they allowed to play outside. After noticing all these sudden changes, I felt I should address loneliness and depression in my film.  

Were Arjun Das and Lijomol your first preferences as lead actors for your story?

I wrote the script without any such plans, I had a blank mind while the characters were shaped. Around the time I had submitted the script, I suddenly felt Arjun would be apt for one of the roles. I had watched his movie Andhaghaaram around the same time. So, I started reading the character's lines in his voice. Lijomol, too, came on board after the writing process was complete. 

Arjun played characters with negative shades in Kaithi and Master. How confident were you while roping him in to play an introvert character who needs attention?

I think it was this unexpected casting which worked for Loners. From the beginning, my assistant directors have been saying that he would be the apt person to play the role. Had I chosen someone who has already been a part of such stories, the audience would have missed a new experience. Moreover, he comes across as a soft-natured person in real life, and I feel that persona reflected in his character as well.  

How challenging was it to convey an intense story within the duration of 20-25 minutes ?

When we had signed the agreement with Amazon Prime, we were told that the story should be told within the duration of 18 minutes. I was tense when I realized that the first cut was about 30 minutes. I didn't know how to chop off 10 minutes from what we had shot. Thankfully, the restrictions were later lifted. Nevertheless, presenting an idea about mental health effectively in less than 30 minutes is always a challenging task. 

You had directed Sillu Karupatti which had four anthologies, earlier. How did the experience of being familiar with the anthology format helped you while working on Loners?

It's true that the approach towards storytelling is completely different in a feature film and anthology. Feature films take some time to get into the plot after the characters are introduced. You don't have that freedom or time in anthologies. I think I had cracked the format of an anthology while working on Sillu Karupatti and it came in handy.

You have completed shooting for your upcoming project Minmini's first half a few years ago. And you are set to shoot for the film's latter half now. What made you choose this unusual way of filming?

The story happens in two time periods and the characters in the first half become slightly older in the second half. I wanted to portray it organically without choosing another set of actors to play their older versions. I'm done with the preparations for shooting and will go on floors as soon as we can. My plan is to release the movie this year. This is my dream project. I will consider myself as a complete filmmaker only if I will be able to pull off this movie. 

Having taken a break for a few years between shooting for the movie's first half and second half, how difficult was it to control the temptation of altering scenes and dialogues whenever you came across interesting ideas?

Fortunately, I never felt I should make any significant changes to the script. I feel that the screenplay and content are still relevant. The only concern I had while waiting for these many years was regarding the health condition of the actors.  

You are known for your penchant for realistic and feel-good movies. Can we expect a different genre from you, a dark, intense movie or a hard-hitting flick?

Of late, many filmmakers seem to be obsessed with slice-of-life, feel-good films. I do want to explore all kinds of genres. I want to work on intense subjects and thrillers, but not for the sake of ticking all the boxes. I would like to narrate stories which deal with complex human minds.