Kunchacko Boban’s Pakalum Pathiravum focuses on a family rather than its hero or heroine: Ajai Vasudev | Exclusive

Director Ajai Vasudev’s name has been synonymous with ‘mass’ entertainers. So, it was a surprise when the filmmaker decided to helm the realistic thriller titled Pakalum Pathiravum, which is based on a play.

In an exclusive chat with OTTplay, Ajai tells us that he was initially in talks with the film’s producers for a movie named Nalaam Thoonu, which had Asif Ali in the lead. “It had to be made on a bigger canvas as it was set against the backdrop of the media and had lathi charge sequenes. That’s when the pandemic hit. Making a big movie, which had a lot of crowd sequences, was not possible,” he says.

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It was also during this time that an executive producer of Gokulam Movies approached him with another prospect. “They said that Nishad Koya had an interesting script that Chackochan had already approved of. The movie could also be shot keeping the pandemic restrictions in mind. That’s how I came onboard,” Ajai explains.

After reading the script, the filmmaker says that it appealed to him even though it was different from his previous films such as Masterpiece and Shylock. “My hesitation had more to do with how do I approach this script because the content was so strong. You do it was a realistic film or a thriller with elements of an entertainer. So, I had a few discussions with my colleagues and mentors and finally decided to approach it in my style,” says the director.

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Pakalum Pathiravum has Kunchacko essaying the role of a wildlife photographer who travels from Kochi to Mysore through Wayanad. “What happens when he stops at a village near the forest border in Wayanad that also faces a Maoist threat, and his interactions with a family, the police and the villagers form the plot,” says the director. “But more than the hero and heroine, the film focuses on a family and what happens to their lives when Kunchacko’s character enters the fray.”

The movie, which is set to release in theatres on March 3, also has Rajisha Vijayan, Guru Somasundaram, Seetha and Manoj KU in pivotal roles.