S.I. Pouran (Prithviraj) is on a trip, adrenalin pumping as he steps out to interrogate a ‘thief’, who has tripped and fallen down on the middle of a busy road in the Fort area in the capital city. Muscles rippling beneath his starched white shirt and khakis, Pouran dramatically commands the thief to hand over the ‘loot’. The crowd of onlookers, who have surrounded the duo, too egg him on, only to berate Pouran, when all that the policeman recovers is a set of idlis wrapped in clear plastic! Pouran’s bravado disappears in a whoosh. Satisfied with the take, scriptwriter-turned-filmmaker Dileesh Nair cans the shot. It’s the afternoon’s location for his debut film Tamaar Padar, in which Prithviraj appears in a comic role after a long gap.
As the cast and crew wait out a sudden drizzle, Dileesh says: “The film is a comedy and a political satire, but it’s not a spoof. It also has strong philosophical undertones.” Dileesh, who started out as an animator, made a name for himself in Mollywood by scripting the likes of Salt n’ Pepper , Da Thadiya and Idukki Gold . He has also scripted this film. “There have been rumours that the film has something to do with the search for absconding felon Sukumara Kurup. But that’s only a part of the tale. It’s actually centred on a few circus artistes,” adds Dileesh.
In fact, it’s the story of three people, namely, S.I. Pouran, Jumper Thampi (Baburaj), and Crossbelt Mani, played by Chemban Vinod of Amen and North 24 Kaatham -fame. “The trio gets mixed up in an incident and a series of adventures and misadventures follow,” says Dileesh. But what does ‘Tamaar Padar’ mean? “In comic book lingo, it’s a term used to denote loud noises such as ‘ Dishoom! ’ It is used to add humour to a situation,” he explains, as young cinematographer Alby Anthony gives him the go ahead for the next shot.
The crowd gathers around the fallen miscreant and continues to scold Pouran, who now looks rather sheepish. It calls for a few takes, with Prithviraj patiently giving pointers to the supporting actors, in between, when some of them stumble over their lines. “Raju’s [Prithviraj’s] character is not overtly comical. It’s a subtle kind of humour, the kind of character role that the actor excels in,” says Dileesh. The film’s heroine has still not been cast.
The rain once again interrupts the shoot. This time it’s a downpour and the crew members scurry to throw protective covers over the camera and lighting props and head to the safety of a covered footpath that runs the length of a row of shops. They might as well have their tea break now, they reason.
Meanwhile, Prithviraj has made a hasty exit to his trailer parked a little away. As the young star strides down the road, followed by a small group of his personal staff members, passers by can’t help but gawk. In fact, one auto driver is so surprised to see the star that he does a double take and almost crashes into a father and daughter on a bicycle, who have also, incidentally, stopped to stare! Excited bunches of school girls, standing on either side of the road, also beckon to each other, pointing to the star, their faces flush with excitement. The man in question deigns them all a fleeting smile in return.
Once in the comfort of his swanky trailer Prithviraj is his diplomatic self. “I’m very excited about the film because it’s a genre-bender. I like that it’s at once political as it is philosophical,” says the versatile actor.
So, yet another cop role… “Are all my cop roles the same?” he asks, suddenly a bit miffed. Excuse us, he has done some 17 of them so far… How ‘different’ is S.I. Pouran then? “In my last cop role [ Memories ] I was an alcoholic, which I am not in Tamaar Padar . In the one before that [ Mumbai Police ] I played a homosexual, which I certainly am not in this one! All I can say is that S.I. Pouran is unlike all my other cop roles,” he says. Well, there you have it.
Tamaar Padar , which is set to be released during the Pooja holidays, is being produced by M. Renjith under the banner of Rejaputhra Visual Media. Bijibal has composed the music. Stills are by Bijith Dharmadam.
