PremiumNadhikalil Sundari Yamuna directors: Dhyan, Aju Varghese’s combo has a minimum guarantee of entertainment
Directors Vijesh Punathur and Unni Vellora tells us what to expect from Dhyan Sreenivasan’s Nadhikalil Sundari Yamuna
Last Updated: 03.24 PM, Sep 13, 2023
Since the pandemic, Dhyan Sreenivasan has arguably had the most number of releases in Malayalam. The actor, in a recent press meet, however, revealed that there were only a select number of these films that he had signed after being excited by the script. One among these is his upcoming release Nadhikalil Sundari Yamuna, which is helmed by debutant filmmakers Vijesh Punathur and Unni Vellora.
The movie’s trailer, which was released earlier this month, revealed a rural entertainer set in North Malabar and revolving around two men who are looking for prospective brides. Ask Vijesh the reason for choosing the setting and he tells OTTplay, “Both of us hail from a village and so, our movie will naturally have those rustic elements. We have only tried to present what we have observed in our lives through this film.”
‘Nadhikalil Sundari Yamuna is based on a true events’
Further on the film, he explains, “A major challenge faced by the men in North Malabar is that it becomes difficult for them to find a suitable partner if they are in their late 20s. There are a lot of such men including people who have studied with us who are yet to tie the knot because of this. The film tells that story along with the politics of friendship between its pivotal characters.”
The directors also explain that having Dhyan as part of the cast, helped the film because he was able to relate to the story better. “He is from Kannur and also he said that his father had also studied in Mattanur, where this story is set, and so he could grasp the prevalent culture and traditions,” Vijesh adds.
‘Dhyan Sreenivasan and Aju Varghese are part of two different teams’
Unni, who has directed the movie along with Vijesh, says that it was also a conscious decision to cast Dhyan and Aju together in the film but as members of two different teams.
“There’s a minimum guarantee of entertainment when they act together. If you look at their scenes together, even in movies that haven’t worked well, they have been entertaining. So, we wanted to build on that aspect, without compromising on what they have already delivered. That’s how we landed this particular equation of their characters,” he says
Debuting together in Nadhikalil Sundari Yamuna
Vijesh and Unni, who have also scripted the movie, had met each other in 2015 and had begun working on the script, which is inspired by a true incident, in 2016. On making their debut together as directors, Unni says, “We have different thoughts but what unites us is the love for cinema. There would be differences in opinions, but all of that is solved within a room. For every character, scene or dialogue, we have discussions and eventually we are convinced of each other’s point of view. More than what we think, we have prioritised how it would appear from the perspective of a third person and if they would like it.”
Nadhikalil Sundari Yamuna is set to hit theatres on September 15 along with Asif Ali’s Kasargold.