'I thought I’d direct Balan: The Boy, but I’m glad Chidambaram did': Jithu Madhavan on writing the film

Malayalam cinema is renowned for its unforgettable films born from powerful filmmaker-writer collaborations. The latest shining example is the creative union between directors Chidambaram and Jithu Madhavan, who wrote the screenplay of ‘Balan: The Boy.’ Their film, has not only captivated audiences but has also won over critics, earning widespread praise for its heartfelt storytelling and exceptional craftsmanship.
In an exclusive conversation with Onmanorama, writer Jithu Madhavan, who previously directed the blockbuster hits ‘Romancham’ and ‘Aavesham’, opened up about why he chose not to direct ‘Balan: The Boy,’ despite initially planning to helm the project himself.

Jithu revealed that the story had been with him since the time he was shooting ‘Romancham.’ "I had the story in my mind while making Romancham. I started working on the screenplay after the shoot because we had postponed the film's release for a while," he said. Although he intended to begin ‘Balan: The Boy’ immediately after ‘Romancham,’ circumstances changed after a conversation with producer Anwar Rasheed.
"Anwar suggested that I should do Aavesham first because it matched the energy and trend of the films releasing at that time. He also felt Balan was a timeless story that could wait. Looking back, he was right. He also told me that ‘Aavesham’ needed the energy of a young filmmaker, and I feel it was very much a film of my youth."

Jithu said he had originally planned to direct ‘Balan: The Boy’ himself. "At that time, I had two or three stories with me. It was then that Sajin Gopu told me Chidambaram was looking for a story to direct. I thought it would be interesting because we are two very different filmmakers with different perspectives. Initially, I wanted to pitch him another story, but when he heard the basic idea of Balan, he got really excited and wanted to hear more. That's how we decided to work on the film together."

Today, Jithu believes that the decision made all the difference. "I don't think I could have made ‘Balan: The Boy’ into the world-class film it has become. I'm really glad Chidambaram directed it. He made it so much better than I could have."
The collaboration also gave Jithu an entirely new writing experience. "We met several times, visited locations together, and kept reworking the script. It had to become a screenplay that reflected Chidambaram's sensibilities while still retaining mine. I genuinely enjoyed that process. The first step was getting on the same page creatively."
He admitted that the biggest learning came from adapting his writing style.

"The way I usually write is shaped by what I think audiences expect from a film. I watch a lot of commercial cinema and naturally look for theatrical moments that elevate a scene. That's how I instinctively write."
Chidambaram, however, encouraged a different approach. "He was confident that we didn't always need to create those big moments. He believed we should simply follow the emotional flow of the story. That was a completely new way of thinking for me."

Jithu said many of the dramatic highs he would normally write were consciously toned down during the screenplay process. "We cut down several scenes that were becoming too 'high' because they weren't serving the story. For me, deciding to remove those moments was a new experience. Chidambaram took those calls, and they were the right decisions. That kind of collaboration works only when there is complete trust between the writer and the director. We stayed true to the core of the story throughout the process."

When asked whether he had anticipated the film's overwhelming critical success, Jithu was quick to respond. "That's exactly why we made this film. We wanted to make a film that people would talk about. That was our aim from the beginning, and that's what we worked towards," he said, adding that he wanted to explore the familiar mother-son relationship from a fresh perspective, which eventually led to the story of ‘Balan.’
He also responded to criticism and debate surrounding the film's climax, adding that the ambiguity was intentional. "I wanted the audience to interpret the ending in their own way. It would have been easy to provide a clear-cut conclusion, but I wanted people to think and arrive at their own understanding instead of giving them all the answers. What I intended isn't the only version of the film. The film is what the audience experiences and interprets. Whatever they think is valid."
"I don't think the ending needs an explanation. What I really liked was that different people saw the film in different ways and connected with it differently. That was a new experience for me. Even though some people criticised the pacing and other aspects, I see all these discussions as something positive. It's nice to see people still talking about the film and coming up with their own interpretations."