I strongly believe that the background music of Jackson Bazaar Youth is one of Govind Vasantha's best compositions.
Published May 24, 2023 | 10:00 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 10, 2023 | 4:06 PM
Shamal Sulaiman enjoys a scene of his movie. (Supplied)
Jackson Bazaar Youth, directed by debutant director Shamal Sulaiman, is not a conventional movie with masala elements but holds a mirror to our society which consists mostly underprivileged people living in the villages.
It’s always a herculean task for first-time directors to get movies with good content. The lack of sensible producers is the main reason for it. But here, Shamal Sulaiman was backed by director Zakaria who funded Jackson Bazaar Youth.
According to the director, he has cast actors in the film who can be utilised in the future too. In an exclusive interview with South First, the director speaks about his first movie. Shamal hasn’t assisted anyone before. But according to him, he has confidence in his work.
Here are excerpts from the interview.
Q. How did you decide to do the subject, that is based on drinking water issues and the underprivileged?
Shamal Sulaiman at the sets of ‘Jackson Bazaar Youth’. (Supplied)
A. The basic idea of Jackson Bazaar Youth is of the scriptwriter Usman Marath. He had written about the drinking water problem and the underprivileged class in the story. This subject came to me, and I took some time to grasp the subject, which is a serious issue. This is not a script we sat together and planned to do as a pre-decided one.
Q. So, did you know the scriptwriter before?
A. I was introduced to script writer Usman Marath by my producer Zakaria. Usman is a person who has been involved in the theatre for a long time. His vast experience has helped us.
It took close to two years for us to complete the pre-production works, as we made sure that everything was done with proper understanding.
Q. In Jackson Bazaar Youth, the animation song featuring Jaffer Idukki’s character at the start of the movie was interesting. Was it an intended one?
Shamal Sulaiman briefing his crew members. (Supplied)
A. I am a graphic designer. So, it was in my personal interest to have something different to establish the character of Jaffer Idukki. There isn’t a prelude to Jaffer Idukki’s character of Vellayan. He is the central character of the movie, and I thought it would be nice to give an animated look to Vellayan.
Q. The character of Indrans was a peculiar one with the mannerisms of a mainstream hero. Was it your call or the scriptwriter’s?
A. It was 100 percent my call to give a different shade to the character played by Indrans because his role has great importance in Jackson Bazaar Youth. There were other opinions from the crew. But I convinced them by briefing them on the importance of the character and its depth.
Q. Chinnu Chandni has a good role to play in the movie. How did you cast her?
A. The role played by Chinnu Chandni isn’t really extraordinary and challenging. It can be done by any other actress. But, Chinnu Chandni is an amazing actress, and when she did the role of Shafna. The character went to a different level. It’s because she has good potential and freshness as an actress. Her roles in her previous films like Thamasha (2019) and Bheemante Vazhi (2021) were good ones. Malayalam cinema can explore her more.
Lukman Avaran, Shamal Sulaiman and other crew members. (Supplied)
Q. What about other actors such as Lukman Avaran, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Gopan Adat, and Binu Pappu in the movie?
A. In our movie, we have many actors like Lukman Avaran, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Jayashankar, and Indrans. When we cast these actors, we ensured that all of them would prove assets for Jackson Bazaar Youth. All of them are quality actors, and we haven’t cast anyone just for the sake of giving roles.
Q. In Jackson Bazaar Youth, the police characters are shown in a negative shade. Did you have apprehensions about being critical of the police system?
A photo from shooting location of ‘Jackson Bazaar Youth’. (Supplied)
A. No, there was no fear like that. It is because we aren’t criticising the entire police system. In the movie, we are telling the story of one police station, and the policemen in that particular place. And we know that people are sensible and would understand the plot.
Q. Being a movie with music embedded in each scene, how did you decide to give the music department to Govind Vasantha?
A. I like Govind Vasantha’s music very much. I had messaged him on his social media so many times as a fanboy. When I decided to do a movie, I wanted Govind Vasantha to be part of it. I pitched my story idea to him as soon as I had his contact.
I strongly believe that the background music of Jackson Bazaar Youth is one of Govind Vasantha’s best compositions. As I mentioned before, we have picked quality people for our movie to get a good product.
