I like to do movies based on complex human emotions, says Malayalam director Thamar KV

In an exclusive chat with South First, the filmmaker gets candid about his debut flick and the challenges he faced in the filmmaking process.

How it all started?

Malayalam director Thamar KV discussing a scene with his crew member. (Supplied)

Thamar KV wrote the story in 2016-17 and pitched it to a well-known producer. To his surprise, the producer told him that the story has a striking similarity with the Italian movie Perfect Strangers (2016) which Thamar didn’t watch.

When he read the brief on IMDb, he was in for a shock. The Italian film, indeed, revolves around a group of friends who gather for a dinner party and reveal their secrets to one another — the synopsis of his story. So, Thamar decided to shelve it and started penning more scripts.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for movies shot in single locations was on the rise. Two people from the Malayalam industry asked him if he would make a movie with his shelved story. This made him realise that the story has potential.

“In 2021, director Zakaria introduced us to Salim Ahamed, who agreed to produce my film. During auditions, one of the artistes revealed that Mohanlal’s 12th Man (2022), which she was a part of, had a similar concept,” the filmmaker recalled.

However, after talking to team 12th Man, he realised that had a different storyline. Hence, he moved forward with the production work of his project.

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A movie with its own identity

Director Thamar KV on a shooting location. (Supplied)

“We had a camp for one week and the auditions were done with utmost seriousness. Vishnu Agastha, who is now popular with his negative character in the Malayalam blockbuster RDX (2023), also auditioned and participated in our workshop,” Thamar said.

The director was confident about Aayirathonnu Nunakal from day one. In fact, after finishing the shoot, he realised the movie had its own identity.

“At the IFFK screening, we initially feared that the crowd might think it to be a copy of 12th Man. But we were elated as the directors and technicians appreciated our work,” he recollected.

Aayirathonnu Nunakal went on the floors in 2022 after the Covid restrictions were revoked. The crew and the actors were all new. It was shot in a linear format and the actors helped each other during the shoot.

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‘Everyone has a grey shade’

A poster of the Malayalam film ‘Aayirthonnu Nunakal’. (Supplied)

About the characters in Aayirathonnu Nunakal, Thamar KV said he took inspiration from different families.

“A few people like to share their feelings and talk about their daily activities with their spouses and some don’t. I tried to a cue from them all.”

The filmmaker explained further, “Not all are good and not all are not bad. Everyone has a grey shade in them. Adjustment is the key to a happy family life. While some enjoy it, others suffer. My characters reflected the same.”

Thamar revealed that the case of a divorced couple mentioned in the movie has been taken from a real-life incident. “In this case, there is justification from the side of both husband and wife. This incident made me curious since the couple got divorced due to a lack of trust.”

The director met many people from various backgrounds in the past 10 years which, he says, helped him carve the characters. “Some are super rich, some are middle class, and some are poor. So, we planned meticulously on how to place these characters in the movie,” he said.

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Was meant for OTT

‘Aayirathonnu Nunakal’ crew at 27th IFFK. (Supplied)

Since the actors were all new, Thamar and his team decided to have a strong technical team. “Ashik did the art direction and the main set — the mansion in Ajman. The whole villa was empty. We filled the set with the needed properties. It’s all teamwork.”

While filming, they thought that the flick would be perfect for an OTT release. Moreover, it wasn’t shot in Cinemascope.

Though some people felt that the film should be released in theatres, there were no favourable conditions since many big-budget projects were failing to do well at the box office.

After it was premiered on Sony LIV, Aayirathonnu Nunakal drew rave reviews. Since it was available in multiple languages, the film won the hearts of audiences from various States.

Future projects

An avid lover of Iranian films, Tharam says that he has many story ideas in his mind. “I do have several story ideas for big films. Well, not all are commercial films. Once I come up with a concrete script and if I believe that story is meant for theatres, I will make a movie.”

He further added, “I like to do stories based on complex human emotions and the problems they create. I want to tell the stories of people around me.”

The filmmaker is currently penning a story set against the backdrop of Odisha.

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