Exclusive! Vipin Das: If it wasn’t for Darshana Rajendran, Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey would not have been like this

Director Vipin Das has made it a habit of extracting humour out of the most relatable of situations. In his upcoming movie Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey, which has Darshana Rajendran and Basil Joseph in the lead, the filmmaker tells OTTplay that he plans to hold a mirror to lives of a lot of people through its satirical take on chauvinism, patriarchal conditioning and its impact on women.

Vipin, who refers to the film as a ‘biopic of a million Indian women’, talks to us about what went into writing its script, working with Darshana in the movie and more.

When we had last talked, it came across that Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hei was a serious take on a relevant issue. So, when did that change to an entertainer happen?

We initially did write it as a serious film and then felt like even we wouldn’t have watched that movie. The script was good but we also need the audience to come to the theatres to watch it, especially where there are so many other films coming out. So, then we decided to use the same content and character and give them a funny spin. We wrote every scene from scratch in the new version and that’s how it took this form.

Did any character become more prominent in the latest version?

Not really, it still revolves around Jayabharathi (Darshana Rajendran). If you look at my previous films Mudhugauv and Antakshari, the villain is stronger than the hero, and it’s the same for this movie as well. The reason Jaya’s character becomes greater is because of the person opposite to her. In that regard, Basil’s character has gained more prominence, but overall Jaya is still the protagonist.

The movie spans Jaya’s life from the day she was born till she is married. We also focus on the influence of the men in her life and how they control her life, without even them knowing. So, a lot of people who watch the film could relate to it because we are holding a mirror to their lives.

Darshana is one of those actresses who is extremely flexible about her character portrayals.

If it wasn’t for Darshana Rajendran, this film wouldn’t not been like this. She didn’t even use caravan and used to be around us all the time. There was a day when she had changed costumes 22 times. No other artiste would have done it. If it was raining, we would shift to shoot indoors and she would change, and immediately when the rain stops, we might have to shoot outdoors and she would be willing to get changed in a jiffy and be ready for the shoot. Also, the movie needed an actor who didn’t wear make-up and also had to do physical acts. She was game for all of that.

The film is dubbed as the ‘biopic of a million Indian women’. As men researching and writing the movie, how much of an eye-opener was it for Nashid and you while scripting the film – especially to unlearn the patriarchal conditioning?

It was definitely an eye-opener. There were things that we tend to not notice in our daily lives. For instance, when I go out with my family, I order what I like. I drive those decisions and don’t look at what others want. Now I have realised that it’s not a good practice.

Mudhugav had a lot of newcomers, and Antakshari was shot in a restricted set-up. In that way, Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hei was a bigger endeavour. But did the working process change, considering this film too had a relatively young cast and crew?

When you discuss this content, not everyone will like it; they could be sensitive about it, especially men. But in this film, all of them were cool with what we were trying to say and that helped the vibe on the sets as well. People aren’t young just based on their age, it’s also about how updated they are about what’s happening around them. That way all of us operated on the same wavelength.