PremiumExclusive! Oru Thathvika Avalokanam is brave enough to criticise the political parties directly: Akhil Marar
The political satire, which has Joju George, Niranj Raju and Aju Varghese, is set to hit theatres on December 31
Last Updated: 03.39 PM, Dec 29, 2021
Mollywood is set to get its second political satire in as many months. After Asif Ali’s Ellam Sheriyakum, Niranj Raju and Joju Georges Oru Thathvika Avalokanam is gearing up for its theatrical release on December 31 and the film’s director Akhil Marar is confident that the politically-inclined audience will connect with the movie that is weaved together with incidents from the recent socio-political scenario in the State.
On the movie, Akhil tells OTTplay, “Oru Thathvika Avalokanam touches upon the lives of various sections of people in our society. For instance, there is a huge percentage of youngsters who are employed in the State and Niranj Raju’s character represents them; he’s someone who tries to write an exam but couldn’t because of issues with a political party. Similarly, there are entrepreneurs in Kerala whose businesses never took off because they didn’t give donations to political parties or local bodies. Joju plays such a businessman,”
While Akhil concedes that the two characters’ journeys have a serious tone, the film is a satire. “There’s also a spoof track about terrorists who come from Delhi and the government inadvertently helps them accomplish their mission. The film also talks about relevant topics such as the Sabarimala issue and those involving the three political parties in the State. So, the movie has satire, spoof and some level of fantasy too that are presented in a way to entertain the audience,” says the director.
Ask him the reason for tackling a political satire in his debut directorial and the filmmaker explains, “I decided to do the movie before the previous two elections. Election season is when people talk about politics. I have previous political experience including contesting elections as an independent candidate. I have also been active on social media and channel discussions, airing my opinions on various issues. So, it was a natural choice for a subject.”
Incidentally, another reason the film has come under spotlight is because of its actor Joju George, whose car was attacked after the actor got into a confrontation with Congress party members last month during a protest that had caused a massive traffic block in Vyttila, Kochi. “That’s just mere coincidence. Joju’s character is of a businessman who is facing a lot of difficulties because he got involved with politics,” says Akhil.
The filmmaker also insists that the actors in the movie – be it Aju Varghese, Prashanth Alexander or Jayakrishnan – will all be seen in roles they haven’t essayed before. As Malayalam has had a rich history of engaging political satires such as Sandesham, ask Akhil how Oru Thathvika Avalokanam stands out from them and he says, “Sandesham tells the difference of political ideals within a family. In our movie, we look at its impact on society and because of that all sections of the audience can connect easily. Also, what makes it different is that as a writer and filmmaker, the movie is brave enough to criticise the political parties in the State directly.”