PremiumNagendran’s Honeymoons director Nithin Renji Panicker: ‘Drew inspiration from veteran actors for this web series’ | Exclusive
Nithin discussed the web series and the rationale behind the cancellation of the Lelam sequel in an interview with OTTplay.
Last Updated: 09.15 AM, Jul 19, 2024
Among the young directors who have made an impact on moviegoers with their works is Nithin Renji Panicker. The renowned director of Kaaval and Kasaba is currently occupied with promoting Nagendran's Honeymoons, his most recent directorial, which is currently available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. In addition to Grace Antony, Kani Kusruthi, Shwetha Menon, Alphy Panjikaran, and Niranjana Anoop in key roles, Suraj Venjaramoodu is the web series' lead actor.
Nithin discussed the web series and the rationale behind the cancellation of the Lelam sequel in an interview with OTTplay.
How would you describe Nagendran’s Honeymoon?
The story takes place in five distinct locations during the 1970s. The show revolves around Nagendran's life and how, in a time of crisis, he and his friend manage to escape. At every turn, the other characters join Nagendran on his journey. Nagendran's Honeymoons fit into the dark humour genre because they contain a good amount of situational humour when appropriate.
Had you made up your mind to cast these actors from the start?
Casting decisions are usually made after the final draft. Writing the story, I was overcome with images of vintage actors because it was set in the 1970s. Once the script was finished, I went around to actors that I thought would be good for these roles. Luckily, they were willing to work on the story and enjoyed reading it.
Thanks to your father, Renji Panicker, you have a great understanding of the film industry before you even considered directing a film. Have you ever felt overburdened by the audiences' expectations?
The expectations surrounding Renji Panicker's son writing and directing a film were the only pressure I felt. I was worried at first that people would compare my work to his. I will never be able to write as well as he can, and worrying about being judged would only make me regress. I thus ignored all of those doubtful ideas.
Have you felt influenced by his works?
I have made every effort to not incorporate influences of any kind into my films. However, it is possible that the things you have seen or heard throughout your life will undoubtedly have little effect on our works. I make every effort to avoid being influenced by my father's writing because if I do, people will start comparing my work to his. However, I do give my father to read my scripts and continue to make changes and corrections based on his feedback.
You recently stated in an interview that there will not be a Lelam sequel. Is there a particular reason for this?
My personal favourite work by both Suresh Gopi and my father is Lelam. This is the reason I considered the parameters of the sequel and spent some time working on it. However, for a number of reasons, it never got off the ground. One, my father is working on several projects, along with writing a screenplay for it. Secondly, veteran actors were largely on his mind during the writing process. We were forced to abandon the project over time.
Suresh Gopi would have looked more like the "vintage" version of himself in the sequel, but I am not sure if that's how people want to see him today. If I ever got the chance to bring any of my father's creations back to life, I would make a movie where the protagonist was similar to Vijayaraghavan's role in Ekalavyan.
Even though Nagendran is the web series' protagonist, it seems that the distinct female characters are just as important. There have been talks lately about the insufficient representation of women in Malayalam cinema. How do you feel about it?
I think it is all up to the script; if it demands that a character—male or female—have a greater role, we cannot alter that. Character development occurs naturally during scripting, and we deliberately do not prioritise any one character at that point. A few controversies surrounding Kasaba, my debut feature, revolved around the portrayal of women in it. Many people, though, have failed to consider that Varalakshmi's character occupies the same amount of space and importance in the narrative as Mammootty's. My main concern is whether the character will be able to influence the plot. Without all of the female leads, Nagendran's Honeymoons would not exist because they are just as significant as Suraj.
What are your upcoming projects?
I have two scripts in progress, but it will take some time. One step at a time is what I am doing.