At the outset, director Jeevan makes it clear that he draws heavily from personal experiences for his stories. That explains why this former cinematographer ( Kokki ), who hails from the village of Sokkanathapuram in Madurai, is hooked on rural themes.
“My upbringing helps me write the stories I do,” he says. The director, who previously made Gnabagangal (2009) and Mayilu (2012), believes his third film Mosakutty will do much better. He says the delayed release of Mayilu is the reason for the lukewarm response it received, and claims that if the circumstances hadn’t been all wrong — read ‘producer trouble’ — the film could have won a National Award.
With Mosakutty , the director hopes to correct his past mistakes. “There’s a commercial flavour that will ensure the film appeals to everybody,” he says. “It has great songs by composer Ramesh Vinayakam. There’s also enough action, and comedy by actors such as Sentrayan (of Aadukalam and Moodar Koodam fame) and M. S. Bhaskar.”
He looks to replicate the success of films in the same genre such as Kumki (2012) and Mynaa (2010). Jeevan, who progressed to becoming a cinematographer from being a still photographer for films such as Jeans (1998) and Bombay (1995), developed this story from a single thought.
“When a person brings a stolen object, we always ask where he got it from instead of asking him why he stole it,” he explains, “My film is based on such an incident. The hero has negative shades.”
The director also doubles as lyricist. “I find that it’s easier for me to write the songs rather than sensitise a new lyricist to my story world,” he says. “Ilaiyaraaja was happy with my song writing (in Mayilu ), and that’s enough motivation for me to continue doing it.”
Mosakutty , with the first half set in a Dindigul village and second half in Idukki, stars debutant hero Veera, Mahima Nambiar (of Sattai fame) and actor Pasupathy. It is set for release in September.
