Campus capers
G. JAYAKUMAR
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‘Collegekumaran’ hits out at the crass commercialisation in the education sector.
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Staging a protest: Mohanlal brought traffic to a standstill as he led a protest march for the shoot of ‘Collegekumaran.’
It’s a Sunday morning, warm and sunny. A jatha moves along the main road in front of the Secretariat. Students hold aloft placards and vociferously demand the Education Minister’s resignation. Slogans echo in the air for restoring course
s and ending the corrupt practises in the educational system. A police jeep follows close behind. And a posse of policemen wielding lathis and barricades are on duty to prevent any untoward happening.
Buses plying the street suddenly halt. The banner in front of the jatha reads ‘Samyuktha samara samithi.’ Photographers vie with one another for a little space to capture the mood. Suddenly, the cameras focus on the leader of the protest march. It is none other than superstar Mohanlal!
It is the shoot of ‘Collegekumaran,’ being directed by Thulasidas. He okays the shot and acknowledges Mohanlal for acting the scene with ease.
In a short recess, Thulasidas explains why he chose to cast Mohanlal after a long gap.
For want of a script
“It was not deliberate. There were a couple of films such as ‘Rakshakan,’ which I was doing in between, and Mohanlal was busy with his projects. So I waited to get a story that would suit Mohanlal. Once the script was ready, I approached him. He went through it and was satisfied. The film will be completed in November once Mohanlal is back from the United States.”
Thulasidas says the theme of the film is against the commercialisation of education. But it is not a serious film. “There is a lot of humour as we try to present contemporary issues in society and its fallout.”
Mohanlal is cool and composed after the shoot. When asked about the character he plays in the movie, his face lights up and there is a smile. “You are told what to do and you do it. Be it leading a jatha or otherwise. I’m not doing it out of experience. I understand what the director has in mind and perform accordingly. As for the movie, I liked the script. We discussed it in detail,” he explains.
Vimala Raman is cast opposite Mohanlal as the heroine in the movie.
Vimala Raman is excited about working with Mohanlal and Thulasidas. “It is really an experience acting with Mohanlal Sir. It is a memorable learning experience. He tells us what to do and what to avoid. And Thulasidas sir is very expressive. He is very passionate about the story and is really into it. He takes a lot of effort to make each shot a success.”
The cast includes Balachandra Menon, Nedumudi Venu, Siddique, Saikumar, Vijayaraghavan, Suraj Venjaramood, Janardanan, Salim Kumar, Riaz and Suja Menon. Lyrics of Shibu Chakravarthi have been scored by Ouseppachan. Camera is handled by Venugopal. Still photographer is Soorya John.
‘Collegekumaran’ is being produced by Benzy Martin under the banner, Faery Queen Productions. The film is slated for release on January 26 next year.
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