Vineeth Sreenivasan on Varshangalkku Shesham cast: ‘Can’t wait to shoot the scenes with all of them together’

There’s always a sense of joie de vivre associated with Vineeth Sreenivasan’s films, especially those after he became a parent. The Hridayam director’s next movie , which has been titled Varshangalkku Shesham and features some of the best actors in the Malayalam film industry including Nivin Pauly, Pranav Mohanlal, Basil Joseph, Dhyan Sreenivasan, Neeraj Madhav and Kalyani Priyadarshan, will also follow the same route.

The cast list that also consists of Neeta Pillai, Nikhil Nair, Arjun Lal, Shaan Rahman and Vineeth himself, alone makes it one of the biggest projects the actor-director has helmed. “I never thought I would get such a huge cast for this film, but everyone I talked to, even those whom I had contacted over the phone, agreed to be part of this,” says Vineeth, in an exclusive chat with OTTplay.

The filmmaker also says that having an ensemble cast with some of the best actors almost always pose a challenge as each of them would be busy with their own films. “But nobody complained of date issues or even had any hesitation to say yes. That was not something I had expected. They just asked me, ‘When is the shoot scheduled?’ and when I told them the tentative dates, they said they are in. I feel very fortunate,” he explains.

Also read: Vineeth Sreenivasan: For Varshangalkku Shesham, I had to decline films of several good directors 

There were several rumours that the film is based on Sreenivasan’s life in the film industry in the 80s and 90s in Chennai. Vineeth, however, dismisses this. “You can’t say that, but cinema is the backdrop. For a huge period, Chennai was the centre of the South film industry and so, the city is part of the story. However, we will not be shooting in Chennai. The film’s setting needs the Chennai of the past, and not today,” he says.

Vineeth also dismisses the speculations of casting Pranav, Dhyan and Nivin as the younger versions of Mohanlal, Sreenivasan and Mammootty, respectively. “I also saw those posts. Actually, if such a movie does happen, it will be great. But Varshagalkku Shesham is not about that,” he says. “There is that ambience nonetheless. There is an influence of the people that I have seen as well as the stories that I have heard growing up. But it’s not anybody’s story in particular.”

The actor, who had just wrapped up shooting for M Mohanan’s Oru Jathi Jathakam, will now take a long break to focus on his directorial venture. “The film has a period setting, but I can’t reveal the era it is set in,” he says.

Much like the audience, who are waiting with bated breath for the film, ever since the cast list was announced, Vineeth too tells us, “There are a few scenes where a lot of them will come together, and I am waiting to picturise all of that.”

Also read: Kurukkan on OTT: Vineeth Sreenivasan on why the crime comedy was best for his dad’s comeback