My film is an acid test

For a generation of movie buffs, the credit roll that goes ‘story, script, dialogues and direction – Balachandra Menon’ meant family entertainers with a twist, from which they even incorporated words of endearment into day-to-day conversations.
One of the earliest multi-taskers of Mollywood, Balachandra Menon is back to direction after seven years with his Njan Samvidhanam Cheyyum.Known for introducing high-calibre actresses through his movies, this project is no different.
He speaks to Kochi Times about his new movie, which he calls ‘a typical Balachandra Menon film’, his new heroine, the current crop of movies and more.
What made you direct a film after seven years, and why is it titled thus?
While certain films are made for a purpose, a few are born out of sheer necessity. My project Njan Samvidhanam Cheyyum belongs to the second category, and that’s purely the reason why I am making it after a gap of seven years. This is also a family movie, based on the life of a father, mother and their daughter.
Just as in the case of all my other films, it is titled thus as no other name would have conveyed the passion behind it. Way back, when I titled one of my movies April 18, many laughed at me, but over years, numerous others followed suit by giving similar names. As far as titling is concerned, what matters to me is finding a name that portrays the wholesome feel of the story.
Moreover, Njan Samvidhanam Cheyyum seems to be a godsend project, as right from the start, I have been able to easily access whatever I wanted to put it together.
You have introduced numerous actresses in the industry, from Shobana to Nandini, and have also often narrated interesting stories behind finding them. Is there a tale behind tracking down your latest find, Dakshina?
(Laughs)Well! Like the saying, well begun is half-done, if the casting is done, the movie is half-done. If it doesn’t go right, the project will be affected. I was on the lookout for the right actors for two characters — one to play the role of my wife and the other, to enact the role of my daughter. I zeroed in on actress Gayathri, who is relatively a new face in the industry, to play my wife and happened to brief her about what I am looking for in the daughter character.
I had many pre-conditions — like the girl should not be heavily built, and should be petite enough to play the role. Interestingly, the first snap that I received was that of Dakshina, and I fixed her for the character.
She is a student who hails from Kochi but lives in Bangkok, and has been active in the modelling circuit. She is completely new to cinema and I am glad to say that when I showed one of the footages of the film to Madhu sir (actor), he was quite impressed with her performance.
You were also the mastermind behind the names of various actresses, by which they later gathered fame…
I guess it’s this aspect that urged Dakshina and Gayathri too to ask me to name them! While Dakshina requested me to re-christen her for her debut, Gayathri opted for the name of the character in the film and sought my permission for it. I re-christened Sree Dhanya to Gayathri and gave a proclamation ‘May you be known by this name, henceforth!’ on the dais of a film event.
Hasn’t the long break of seven years kept you slightly out of touch with the industry?
I am an updated person and for the past seven years, I remained a student and keen observer, by watching almost all the films which were released, so that I am in sync with the industry. That said, I would call this project an acid test or attempt to find whether there is still a space for a Balachandra Menon movie. I approach this project with a rejuvenated mind as well.
What do you feel about the current crop of technicians? Who do you feel are the most promising talents of our industry?
Their best asset is their youth and I wish they make the best use of this time. I don’t want to pick names, many of them are quite good with the latest technicalities of film-making and are promising as well. However, at times, I have felt that some of them would benefit from a bit of guidance too.
In my film, there is a scene in which Vineeth’s character offers a flower to a girl and the dialogue goes, “Oru poovile vedana anubhavicha aalke manasilavoo…(Only someone who has experienced the pain of a flower will be able to understand the depth behind this gesture).” New generation kids might laugh at such lines, but I would tell them, don’t make movies with plastic flowers sans emotions.
Do you appreciate films with the tag ‘new-generation’?
I am a filmmaker who made my first film at the age of 22, with top actors of the time. I can enjoy new generation movies and I don’t belittle their efforts, as I can understand them well. That said, I would say that staying a tad more responsible to the craft and being observant of the surroundings will do them a world of good.