It takes a great deal of effort to leave everyone in splits. Especially when you have to portray rustic characters of a rural land. Such roles call for a simple yet genuine touch of humour. Aju Varghese is one of those Malayalam actors who could pull this off with grace.
The combination between hero and his best buddy is something that we have seen in quite a number of films. In most of these flicks, key factor of the plot would be this combination.
Over the years, Malayalam Cinema has had some great best buddies. The latest addition to this 'friends' list is Aju Varghese, who started off with Malarvady Arts Club and cemented his spot with the roles in Om Shanthi Oshana and Peruchazhi. The latest as Paachan in_ Vellimunga_ is perhaps his best so far. Mammachan’s devoted sidekick and partner in crime Paachan speaks his mind....
Paachan the actor...
This is my first role with a moustache!
A flimsy one though, I must add! When Jibu, the director informed me that I play a character with a moustache, I tried to tell him how tough that was going to be. But he insisted on me doing it with whatever little I have!!
I followed the instructions of the director and the scriptwriter to a T. And if Paachan turned out good, then all credit goes to their efforts. All my roles from Thattathin Marayathu, Punyalan, Cleetus, Om Shanthi Oshana to Vellimunga were all rustic, village characters and I consider myself lucky for this.
A ‘hero' director!
Vellimunga was cinematographer turned director Jibu’s first directorial venture. The result of painstaking efforts, which spanned three or four years and this project, was turned down by many. The shooting had to be stopped when producers backed out in the last minute. But Jibu still went ahead with conviction.
The blessings of all the gods, what else can I say. It was the producer of Crazy Gopalan, Sasidharan who came forward to finally do the project. We decided to release the film even before it got any satellite rights. A film without any super heroes and still it is getting good reviews from the viewers. Indeed a positive end to all the efforts and hard work put in.
I have known Jibu, for quite some time now. He was the cinematographer for Bharya Athra Pora and he told me the story of Vellimunga then. We share a good rapport and I guess it shows on the screen. I am even friends with the cinematographer Vishnu and the scriptwriter Joji. It was Vishnu who did the camera work for Zachariyayude Garbhinikal.
The secret of success
To be able to laugh with no holds barred is a big deal and to show that on screen is much tougher. And Vellimunga succeeded at that. This is what people have to say about the movie, that it is a simple film with simpleton characters and normal everyday incidents. Under all this superficial garb and modern hullaballoo, I believe we are all actually simple people and the audience was able to relate to this aspect of the movie and so it was well received.
There is no dearth for good stories these days but it is the dialogues that play an important role in films. Both director Jibu and scriptwriter Joji was very particular that there shouldn’t be anything that raises eyebrows when you sit with a family to watch the film. No extra scenes were shot for the film too.
The film revolves around a character named Mammachan. His political antics and a peep into his personal life and special credit go to the scriptwriter to have made this as convincing as possible. Teamwork and meticulous planning led to the success of Vellimunga.
Apart from this, the film is filled with likeable faces — Tini Tom, Sunil Sukhada, ‘Paashanam’ Shaji, Sasi Kalinga, Shajon, KPAC Lalitha and the list goes on. The real hero is no doubt Jibu himself.
Ramba Ho Ho Ho...!
Most of the comedy scenes and snippets in the film are those that stay with you even after the movie is over. When you do something out of the ordinary at a funeral, it is bound to click. Like the Ramba ho ho ho ringtone in the film was Jibu’s idea! Even the Lalee Laleelo scene, the best part about that was the delivery scene in Kalimannu was filmed by Jibu and Biju Menon who acted in it!
The way of the laughter
There is another gem of a person that worked behind the scenes of Vellimunga. Most of the super-duper comic scenes were his contribution. Sreejith. He used to be Jibu’s Camera Associate and for Vellimunga, he was the Associate Director. The ‘pearl ‘on the sets of Vellimunga, all my heartfelt gratitude goes to him.
Nikki, the lucky charm
It was by a stroke of luck that Nikki could be a part of Vellimunga. All her movies are top hits. Everybody was a little apprehensive if she would be the right pair for Biju Menon. But onscreen they had great chemistry.
Mammachan, a tough nut to crack!
Biju Menon had to put in a lot of effort to get into the shoes of Mammachan. He didn’t commit for any other film since December and worked only for this film for three or fourt months at a stretch. It was the dedication and hard work put in by all the actors including him that saw Vellimunga flying high!