The writer opens up about 'Nadikar' — characterisation, references in the film, criticism it faced, and more.
Published May 11, 2024 | 9:45 AM ⚊ Updated May 11, 2024 | 1:02 PM
'Nadikar' scriptwriter Suvin S Somasekharan. (Instagram)
Tovino Thomas’ latest outing Nadikar opened to mixed responses from audiences and critics.
The Malayalam film narrates the story of a superstar named David Padikkal played by Tovino.
Directed by Lal Jr aka Jean Paul, Nadikar is written by Suvin S Somasekharan.
Suvin and Jean Paul have known each other for some time. While casually discussing various subjects, they toyed with the idea of making a film based on a superstar.
“When we decided to explore the life of a superstar, we knew it would surely be influenced by the stories we read and films we watched earlier. However, in Nadikar, we tried to explore the life of a superstar from the ground reality, much like that in Hollywood films,” Suvin Somasekharan told South First.
After discussing with his wife, who too is into visual media, he came up with the premise and shared the same with Lal Jr — a superstar getting tutored by an acting teacher.
The scriptwriter developed the story after getting a nod from the filmmaker.
Suvin with director Lal Jr. (Instagram)
When asked if he took any references for David Padikkal’s characterisation and character arc, Suvin replied in the negative.
“We did not take any references from anyone in the industry while crafting David Padikkal. There are several misconceptions in this regard and I don’t know how it happened,” he wondered.
Suvin Somasekharan revealed that he shared Nadikar‘s storyline with an actor in the industry who, on a lighter note, commented that it was similar to his life.
“Even Tovino disclosed that the film was relatable because of the incidents in the plot. But none divulged more details. Since I don’t know these actors personally, I did not take any reference from their lives,” he clarified.
While admitting that the film did mention Mohanlal and Mammootty, Suvin Somasekharan clarifies that it did not show the veteran actors in a bad light.
“We planned to recreate a scene from Mohanlal’s previous work. But we had a difficulty in recreating old times. So, we tweaked the sequence. I must say, Suresh Krishna (who played PK in Nadikar) executed it well,” Suvin said.
In other sequences, Shoubin Shahir’s Bala (acting teacher) cites examples of Mammootty’s films and asks Tovino’s David to learn his lessons.
About the reference to producer Antony Perumbavoor, the writer disclosed that they took permission from the parties concerned.
Soubin Shahir and Suvin on ‘Nadikar’ sets. (Instagram)
Suvin shares that there has been no acting coach in the Malayalam industry so far, but the area is being explored nowadays. “I’ve heard that some actors are taking acting classes from theater artists. But not everyone will admit it openly.”
However, the scriptwriter opines that Malayalam cinema will soon adopt the culture since the actors need to hone their skills.
Speaking about Soubin Shahir’s role, Suvin said that Soubin made extra efforts by learning certain dialogues and names in Russian. He gave his best.
According to Suvin, they had also given a comedy angle to Soubin’s character as acting teachers may not be great actors and some scenes in the movie also show that.
Suvin with Tovino Thomas. (Instagram)
About the criticism that the movie faced, Suvin says audiences welcome films with a certain template. “But I believe people who didn’t like our film now will certainly own it up in future.”
He further added, “PR and social media help a film reach out to the audience. While those who watched our movie said it has an emotional connection, those who haven’t fell prey to hearsay. This isn’t good for any flick. People should form an opinion only after watching a film.”
When asked about the complaints about less heroic acts from Tovino Thomas, the writer said the trailer gave an impression that Tovino was playing a larger-than-life role in Nadikar.
However, in the promotional interviews, both Tovino and Jean Paul clarified that the movie was an emotional drama. But sadly, it didn’t connect with a section of the audience.
About Bhavana having a lesser screen space in Nadikar, Suvin Somasekharan explained that some scenes were trimmed to suit the theatrical audience. “However, the OTT print will have an extended version since the OTT audience is used to watching web series.”
He disclosed that the OTT print will have more scenes of Bhavana, who played Ann, David Padikkal’s co-star in the film.
Suvin is busy with several projects.
He is directing a web series, which will be released soon. Though it is made in English, the web show is a multilingual project produced by a foreign production house.
It’s a thriller and an announcement will be made soon.
The scriptwriter is also working on his Malayalam directorial debut titled Papa Ninja. Details about the cast and crew will be announced soon.
Suvin also has plans to debut in Tamil.
