EXCLUSIVE: There’s more to ‘Golam’ than what’s shown in the trailer, says director Samjad

He resigned from his job in Dubai to realise his dream—cinema. And now, he is keen to make a mark in the Malayalam industry with his debut directorial venture.

In a tête-à-tête with South First, Samjad reveals why Golam is special to him.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. Tell us about your journey from animation to movies.

A. I have done many short films in the past 10-15 years.

My long-time friend Praveen Viswanath and I have written the script for Golam. He, too, left his job and followed his dream of becoming a filmmaker.

We made a two-hour demo film, which left the producers at Fragrant Nature Pictures deeply impressed. Subsequently, they decided to invest in Golam.

Q. What is “Golam“? 

Director Samjad comes from animation background and has made several short films, (Instagram)

A. “Golam” signifies a sphere, embodying the characteristics of such a shape. Unlike other geometric forms, a sphere lacks edges or vertices.

You will understand the reason behind us picking “Golam” as the title only after watching the movie.

It’s evident from the trailer that the film is a thriller. The story revolves around a murder (Dileesh Pothan’s John) inside an office and the events that follow.

Q. Don’t you think revealing the details in the trailer would mar the suspense? Can this woo audiences to theatres?

A. The death of John is not the only suspense element in the story. The real elements can be decoded only while watching Golam. The trailer gave away certain hints, though. Also, I believe the promotional material did leave an impact on the viewers. They have to visit the theatres to find answers to their questions.

Q. This year, we saw the release of two investigative thrillers—Anweshippin Kandethum and Thalavan. How different is your Golam? 

A. Praveen and I watch films in all languages. That’s how we learnt about the art of cinema and the filmmaking process.

While writing Golam, we took references from movies. We also discussed at length the changes that need to be made to our film to make it a riveting watch.

Further, we incorporated our style and patterns in the narrative, colour palette, lenses, lighting, and story.

Golam is certainly different from other investigative thrillers.

 

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Q. Ranjith Sajeev is playing an investigation officer in the movie. How did you cast an actor, who is only two films old, in a pivotal role?

A. We kept our options open for all the characters in Golam.

We didn’t want to go for a known face for the role of the investigation officer. We chose Ranjith Sajeev since he is not so familiar with the audience and would add freshness to both the character and the film.

I must say, he is like water; he transforms himself according to the role he portrays. He is hardworking, too, and gave his best to the film.

Q. The movie seems to have an impressive cast.

A. Chinnu Chandni, Dileesh Pothan, Sunny Wayne, Siddique, Srikanth Murali, and Alencier are all part of Golam.

The movie also has newcomers who play crucial roles. I won’t disclose much, but every character in the film is relevant.

‘Golam’ is an investigative thriller. (Instagram)

Q. Was it intentional to keep the runtime to two hours, given the fact that today’s audiences don’t prefer watching lengthy movies?

A. Upon completing the script, we realised that the film would have a duration of two hours. Consequently, we tailored the editing process accordingly. Our editor, Mahesh Bhuvanend, has executed his role commendably. Overall, Golam offers a captivating viewing experience.

Q. Does it have animation?

A. Not really. Since it’s a thriller, audiences might expect Golam to have animation. But we haven’t incorporated any such scenes into the film for the sake of using it.

Q. What kind of genres do you like to watch?

A. I don’t have a preference for any specific genre; I simply enjoy watching everything. My appreciation for cinema extends to its entirety.

Q. Tell us about the music in Golam and other technical aspects. 

A. Aby Salvin Thomas made his debut as a music composer with our film. Despite this being his first project, he has collaborated with several esteemed music directors and possesses strong orchestration skills.

We anticipate that the film’s background score will be a topic of discussion. He started working on the BGM as soon as the script was ready.

Vijay, who hails from Tamil Nadu and previously worked on Iratta (2023), serves as the cinematographer.

To ensure clarity in capturing each scene, we provided him with dialogue for reference.

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