Gokulam Movies saved me from ruin, says ‘Sureshinteyum Sumalathayudeyum Hridayahariyaya Pranayakatha’ producer Ajith

Producer Ajith Thalappilly who was one of the co-producers of ‘Sureshinteyum Sumalathayudeyum Hridayahariyaya Pranayakatha’,  has revealed that he escaped financial ruin due to the support from Sree Gokulam Movies. Leading producer G Suresh Kumar recently said that a colleague had been reduced to poverty after investing in a movie.
Soon, reports suggested that the film was ‘Sureshinteyum Sumalathayudeyum Hridayahariyaya Pranayakatha’ directed by Ratheesh Balakrishnan  Poduval. The production controller of the movie also shared a post on social media suggesting that Ratheesh’s decisions during the shooting had led to huge losses for the producer.

In response, Ajith revealed the real developments behind the making of the movie, in an exclusive interview with Manorama Online.

“The social media post on a producer, who started living in a cowshed as he had to sell his Mercedes Benz car and house, is partially true. However, I have not become homeless following the failure of my movie. I was saved from such a situation because of assistance from some good people,” said Ajith.

He further said that work on ‘Sureshinteyum Sumalathayudeyum Hridayahariyaya Pranayakatha’  began only after Ratheesh, the director, agreed to complete the film within the budget of Rs four crore. “When the expenditure shot up, I could have become penniless. However, such a situation did not occur because Gokulam Movies stepped in. We conducted discussions with them, when we could not complete the film, and they agreed to take up the distribution. They also helped us to meet the shortage of finance and we completed the movie,” said Ajith.

He said that Ratheesh owned a film company named Silver Bromide, which was managed by three persons – Vivek Harshan, Ratheesh and Jayakrishnan, who approached him for the project. Work started based on an agreement that they would receive a share, if the film succeeded. As per the contract, Ratheesh was supposed to get his fees and 30-percent of the profits. “That’s how their name appears as producers on social media. Gokulam Movies was the last company to join the production,” he said

After shooting for around 20 days, the expenses exceeded the budget. “Much money was spent on art direction and similar work. The shooting schedule also was delayed. Initially, a 45-day schedule was planned; but, when the shoot started, they said 75 days were needed. However, the shooting lasted 110 days and we could not control the expenditure. The director took no effort to reduce expenses,” said Ajith.

He explained that the director communicates with the producer only till the shoot begins. Afterward, the producer can contact only the production controller.  “Once work starts, you cannot abandon the project midway. We have to complete it at any cost. I decided to produce the film as Ratheesh had previously directed three superhit films. I felt that ‘Sureshinteyum Sumalathayudeyum Hridayahariyaya Pranayakatha’ would succeed even without a star cast. The director could have reduced the cost by Rs 5-6 crore if he had given more attention to art direction and dates,” said Ajith.

“Gokulam Movies was a godsent. They joined hands with us when the project was about to be stalled. A special mention to Krishnamoorthy and Sujith. Another person, Shibu, who is based in Australia, also gave us money. Finally, we released the movie in theatres. But, it was a disaster. We could not recover the money. Even though there was a huge loss, I didn’t become homeless because these people supported us,” said the producer.

Ajith added that he filed a complaint with the producers’ association after the movie failed at the box office. “The association convened a meeting, where I described my loss. However, Ratheesh said that he did not have funds to compensate for my loss,” he said. The producer also revealed that Tinu Pappachan, another director, contacted him on Monday. “Tinu is a great friend. ‘Ajagajantharam’, which we made together, performed well. I am now planning the second part of this movie with him. Tinu said we will complete the work very quickly. I am very happy to produce ‘Ajagajantharam 2’,” said Ajith.

He said people from Gokulam Movies also contacted him and offered more support. “I am in the industry because of my passion for cinema. Those who lead the producers to ruin should introspect on whether it would benefit the industry. Such directors should, at least, be willing to listen to the people who invest money for the film,” concluded Ajith.