Shaji N Karun's 'Kutty Srank' was conceived on a grand scale

It was E K Nayanar’s son Krishnakumar who told me that he wished to meet Shaji N Karun. When we met him at his residence in Thiruvananthapuram, Shaji sir said, “I wanted to do a movie based on the life and culture of the coast. It even has Chavittunatakam. A srank (boat driver) named Kutty is the hero. Kutty Srank!”

When I urged him to tell the story, he said that it was a simple one that narrated the three stages in the life of Kutty srank. He lives with three women in three different places. Shaji sir stated that these stories featured different seasons and terrains. 

He had just narrated a one–line and I had to develop it into a fully fledged story. I was working in a television channel then and was extremely busy with my work. However, he used to call me often and reminded me about the movie. He told me that Big Motion Picture owned by Reliance had shown interest in the project. I soon started writing; I was staying at the guest house in Thiruvananthapuram. However, the story happened in the backdrop of Kochi. Mammootty would be playing the lead role of Kutty Srank. 

I am familiar with the lives of Chavittunatakam artists who live in the coastal belt of Kochi. Most of them are fishermen or boatmen and belong to the Latin Catholic community. The draft of the script was completed quickly; then I felt that there was no need to bring in three different cultural elements into it. I expressed my opinion that it would be nice to focus on a single culture. The protagonist Kutty Srank is a boat worker and a Chavittunatakam artist. I told Shaji sir that it was better to develop the premises by staying within this idea. Shaji sir asked me to complete the script first and vowed to discuss other elements later. 

I had thought about including some surreal elements when I first perceived this script. In the opening scene, a lone boat is floating in Kochi Lake; it is suddenly surrounded by many other boats just as an army battalion is deployed. A fierce battle takes place there. I had even planned to include flying jumps and kicks as in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I was thrilled. I asked Shaji sir, “Is our technology enough to depict these perfectly’? He said confidently, “We can do it. We can even bring in the Koreans.” That movie was conceived on a grand scale. 

But, later, the movie was made as a small art house film. The elements of surrealism were removed. All that could happen with a big project happened in this one too. Then, one part of the movie was based in Kollam and Malabar was depicted in another part. Meanwhile, the part of the movie based in Kochi was already filmed. 

I was on the sets when those parts were shot. We had a difference of opinion while shooting the remaining parts of the movie. Later, Harikrishnan too became part of the screenplay. That is how Kutty Srank was made. I didn’t believe that this movie could create any magic, but it happened. I was surprised when I won the national award for screenplay for this movie. It was indeed a turning point in my life. Shaji sir was the reason why I could experience it.