Discovery of the self
VIJAY GEORGE
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On location ‘Punyam Aham’ traces the protagonist’s journey in search of his roots.
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Quest: Prithiviraj and Samvratha Sunil in Raj Nair’s ‘Punyam Aham,’ which is set in picturesque Kuttanad.
Away from the hustle and bustle of urban life, the shoot for director Raj Nair’s ‘Punyam Aham’ is on. The narrow mud ridge amidst the luscious green paddy fields leads to the day’s location, a modest house at Mathoor, near Alappuzha. Prithiviraj, who plays the lead, walks into the frame through a door.
Raj Nair, grandson of the legendary writer Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, says ‘Punyam Aham’ is a son’s journey to learn more about his father.
Myth and modernity
“Most men are escapists in nature. Legend has it that Vararuchi was an escapist. ‘Punyam Aham’ is a search to find out if such attitudes hold true today. The movie also deals with globalisation and its impact on man,” says Raj who had earlier directed a documentary titled ‘Kazhchavasthukkal,’ which was based on his grandmother’s memories and her loneliness after the death of Thakazhi.
Raj and cinematographer M.J. Radhakrishnan discuss the next shot.
Says Radhakrishnan: “More than the green colour that is often identified with Kuttanad, the visuals in the story have a realistic shade. We have shot a significant portion of the film in houses around the area.”
Meanwhile, Prithiviraj and theatre actor Krishnan face the camera for the scene being canned. Prithiviraj plays Narayanan Unni, who has come from a North Kerala village to Kuttanad. There he meets characters like Jayasree (Samvratha Sunil), her mother (KPAC Lalitha), Eswaran Namboodiri (Nedumudi Venu), Pappanassari (M.R. Gopakumar), Georgekutty (Nishanth Sagar), Pankan (Sreejith Ravi) and Pachan (Krishnan), who all play significant roles in the story.
“Narayanan Unni lives with his mother and sisters. He does not know his father. The timid Narayanan Unni runs away whenever trouble approaches. He is on a search for his roots and in the end finds himself,” says Prithiviraj.
Was it easy to transform from a six-pack-abs dude in ‘Lollipop’ to the sober character in ‘Punyam Aham’? “I think the transformation occurs in the actor’s mind. I think my homework is to read the script well and understand the character,” he adds.
Says Gopakumar: “My character, Pappanassari, is a local resident who is trying to cope with the fact that his land has been acquired for railway expansion. The anguish of those who have been evicted from their land is the same anywhere in the world.”
According to Krishnan, a theatre artiste who has acted in Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s ‘Oru Pennum Randaanum,’ Shaji N. Karun’s ‘Kutty Srank’ and Kukku Surendran’s ‘Oraal,’ his character Pachan is a villager “who will do any kind of a job for a living. However tragedy takes a toll on his life.”
‘Punyam Aham’ is being produced under the banner of Mirabilia Films. Bina Paul Venugopal is the editor and Isaac Thomas Kottukappilly is the music composer. Still photographer is Manju Aditya.
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