Arabian story
VIJAY GEORGE
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‘Arabikatha’ narrates the story of Cuba Mukundan and his experiences in Dubai.
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Comrades-in-arms: Samvritha Sunil, Chinese actor Zhang Shu Min and Sreenivasan in ‘Arabikatha.’
It is as if a whole village has turned up to welcome the cast and crew of ‘Arabikatha’ as the team start the day’s shoot near Vadakkancherry, on the way to Palakkad. A Chinese girl playing the lead opposite Sreenivasan and a sizea
ble portion of the story unfolding in Dubai are some of the interesting features of the film, says the director of the film, Lal Jose.
An idealist’s angst
‘“Arabikatha’ narrates the story of Cuba Mukundan (Sreenivasan) who can be called an ‘impractical idealist.’ He is a staunch leftist who lives for the movement. Circumstances force him to take up a job in West Asia. But he finds himself a misfit in a highly materialistic world. He has always had a soft corner for China as a result of his leftist leanings and when he meets a Chinese girl, she quickly finds a special place in his heart,” says Lal Jose.
Sreenivasan had earlier played a ‘comrade’ in ‘Sandesham,’ which was scripted by him. How different is Cuba Mukundan from Prabhakaran, his character in ‘Sandesham’?
“The similarities between the characters end with the fact that both are diehard Communists. Mukundan is ready to sacrifice anything for his ideology, has been part of bloody struggles and has suffered a lot for his organisation,” he explains as he waits for the camera to roll.
Meanwhile, the crew gets ready for a steadicam shot with the lead pair going through a narrow lane on a bicycle.
Chinese actor Zhang Shu Min, clad in a red sari and black blouse, says her work in the film has been “an amazing experience.” And on the way to the next location, she sings a few lines from a song in the film as Lal Jose, scenarist Iqbal Kuttippuram and lyricist Anil Panachooran encourage her.
“I am a graduate in English and I work in the administration section of a Dubai-based company. I had gone to Dubai as a translator to help the film’s unit find a Chinese girl for the role. Sometime later, the director asked me if I would like to do the role and I thought, ‘why not?” recalls Shu Min, who can speak Arabic as well.
She watches the proceedings with keen interest as cinematographer Manoj Pillai frames a scenic shot of acres of paddy field. A canal and a bridge over it and the hilly terrain form an enchanting back drop. Scenarist Dr. Kuttippuram says that it was the character of Cuba Mukundan, a dedicated Communist living in a land aptly named ‘Chemmannoor’ or ‘red soil,’ that first came to his mind. “We now live in a society where sticking to any ideology without any compromises is perceived as something of an anachronism. Mukundan often fails to change with the changing times.
The film also focusses on the lives of a group of Malayalis in the Gulf,” he says.
Just before the crew wrap up the day’s shoot there, heavy rain disrupts the proceedings. The crew decide to go for a shot in the rain that could be included during a song sequence. After the shot has been canned, the director announces pack-up and the unit moves to a nearby hospital for the next scene.
‘Arabikatha’ is being produced by Hussain, a Qatar-based Malayali, under the banner of Microcom.
The film will be released on July 5. Indrajith, Jayasoorya, Nedumudi Venu, Jagathy Sreekumar, Salim Kumar and Samvritha Sunil are among the other actors in the film.
Biji Pal is the music director and M.K.Mohanan is the still photographer.
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