Sachy envisioned ‘Vilayath Buddha,’ Prithviraj helped me finish it: Jayan Nambiar

Debutant director Jayan Nambiar never initially planned to direct ‘Vilayath Buddha’ —a project originally envisioned by his mentor, the late director-screenwriter Sachy. ‘Vilayath Buddha’ is based on a book by G R Indugopan and Sachy had realised the scope of a film long before he passed away in 2020. In fact, he had told Jayan, who was Sachy’s associate director, to scout for locations in Kerala for the movie. Jayan recalls how he left for Marayoor and even booked a room there, but then Covid struck and the project had to be stalled.

“Me and Sachyettan had an incredibly close bond. I always saw him as a father figure, someone I could confide in on so many levels. And he, in turn, showed me the same love and trust. When I first started as an associate, he was eager to know what ideas I had for the future. He told me he would the write the script for my first film. That was his way of supporting me. He would often say the same to everyone around him ,” said Jayan.

But Jayan’s world came crashing down when he received the news of Sachy’s unexpected passing. "It was a shock. After the pandemic hit, we had moved on to different projects. I had already announced another film, who was with Prithviraj in the lead, and we were actively working on it. But when Sachy passed away, I was overwhelmed. Then I got a call from Prithviraj. He assured me that he would be there for me, and he gave me the strength to step into the director's chair for ‘Vilayath Buddha.’ He told me that I had to come to terms with Sachy’s death, a loss that left us all devastated, and keep moving forward. His words helped me find the courage to direct the film and complete it ,” he said.

‘Vilayath Buddha’ featuring Prithviraj and Shammi Thilakan in lead roles along with ‘Narivetta’ fame Priyamvadha revolves around a sandalwood smuggler Double Mohanan. Since the release of the teaser and trailer, ‘Vilayath Buddha’ has often been compared to Sachy’s previous work, ‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum,’ which also explored the clash between two men driven by their egos. "I understand why people draw such comparisons," Jayan said, "but Malayalam cinema has had films exploring complex egos long before ‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum,’ and there will be many more in the future. However, in all honesty, ‘Vilayath Buddha’ is not about ego. The protagonists here are not defined by their egos—they are simply adamant. Double Mohanan is a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal, and Bhaskaran Master is equally resolute in his own way."

He also clarified that they made some changes to the getup and the mannerisms of ‘Double Mohanan’ to avoid any comparisons with Allu Arjun’s character in ‘Pushpa’. “When Sachy conceived Vilayath Buddha, ‘Pushpa’ was yet to release. There is no similiarities between Double Mohanan and Pushpa, but we made some changes to the getup so that people don’t make any comparisons. At the crux, the stories are very different with ours more rooted to real life characters,” he said.

The film took over four years to complete, with writers Indugopan and Rajesh Pinnadan crafting the script. "While the core of the story remains faithful to the book, we've made a few changes for the film. Ultimately, it’s been shaped by my vision as a director. Everyone involved, including Indugopan Chettan, who wrote the original story, was very supportive and accommodating throughout the process," Jayan said.