‘Answers are in the film itself’: Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar director on OTT response, sequel possibility

‘Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar’, which collected over Rs 50 crore at the box office, has arrived on OTT, sparking fresh discussions on social media. While the Shahad directorial continues to draw comparisons with Jeethu Joseph’s ‘Drishyam’ for its cat-and-mouse game, viewers have also been closely examining the film, questioning the logic behind certain scenes and pointing out alleged loopholes.

Responding to the criticism, director Shahad Nilambur says he had anticipated such reactions following the film’s OTT release. He maintains that many of the questions raised by viewers have already been addressed in the film, while admitting that the team may have misjudged how much detail audiences expected.

“I had anticipated such a response from the audience after the film’s OTT premiere. Of course, as a director, I have taken creative liberties. This film is neither a documentary nor based entirely on real-life incidents. We have relied on these liberties to make it more entertaining,” Shahad tells Onmanorama.
The director, who previously helmed the romantic drama ‘Anuragam’, insists that the team did not take the film’s details lightly. “We spent several hours and days trying to crack each scene. Our priority was to ensure that every step taken by the characters had a reason behind it and was not devoid of logic,” he says.

Shahad welcomes the discussions surrounding the film, whether positive or critical. However, he believes that some of the questions being raised could have been answered by paying closer attention to the details already presented on screen.

“I appreciate everyone who has been talking about the movie, both in terms of appreciation and criticism, and analysing it positively and negatively. However, the loopholes that people are talking about are already addressed in the movie,” he says.

‘We may have misjudged the audience’
Explaining why the film does not spell out every detail, Shahad said he and screenwriter S Subramaniam, who is also a police officer, deliberately avoided over-explaining certain developments. The team wanted viewers to connect the dots themselves rather than have every detail laid out for them.

“There have always been films where filmmakers go to great lengths to explain every scene. However, when such films are released, people complain that they are being spoon-fed. We wanted to be careful about that and deliberately tried to avoid spoon-feeding the audience. We clearly misjudged the audience in this regard,” he adds.
He also urged viewers to approach the film as a work of fiction that takes creative liberties, rather than judge it as a documentary or a completely factual account. “Of course, the thread of the story is inspired by an incident involving a police officer in the US. Apart from that, the story was developed through hours of research,” he says.

Addressing questions about the film’s depiction of ballistic examination, Shahad said the team made certain choices to keep the narrative moving. He maintained that the team chose to bring the relevant characters together at one location rather than stretch stretch the proceedings across multiple scenes. According to him, filmmakers should have the freedom to make such decisions in the interest of storytelling.
He also responded to questions about a police officer (DySP Navas Meeran played by Vijayaraghavan) writing a book regarding his investigations during service, stating that it is possible with the necessary police permission.

Proud ‘PDK’ is being compared to Drishyam
Despite the criticism, Shahad is pleased that ‘Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakar’ is being compared with ‘Drishyam’, one of Malayalam cinema’s most celebrated thrillers. For the director, the comparison is a form of recognition, given the place Jeethu Joseph’s film holds in Malayalam cinema. Rather than seeing it as a burden, he is happy that his film has prompted viewers to draw parallels with such a landmark thriller.
Shahad also says he is not someone who likes to remain confined to one genre. After making the romantic drama ‘Anuragam’, he was keen to explore a different kind of storytelling, which led him to ‘Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakar’.

Ask Shahad if there is a possibility for a sequel to the movie, the director remains non-committal. “Not at the moment. But given that the film ended with some questions, the possibility cannot be discarded completely. However, nothing as of now,” he shares.