Director Shafi who has delivered some smashing box office hits is also credited for creating a few evergreen characters like Dasamoolam Damu, Manavalan, Kannan Sranku and Poinjikkara. These characters, interestingly, are regulars in the troll pages and continue to entertain Keralites. The director who created these extremely funny and vivid characters is soft spoken and looks a bit serious in real life. Shafi and his family are thrilled to share their experiences of building their dream dwelling.
“My brand new house is at Elamakkara in Ernakulam. This house, in fact, is a memorial for my mother. I have gone through severe financial crises when I was young. So, after I came into the movies and decided to build a house of my own, I wanted a small yet comfortable house. But my mother’s biggest dream was that I should build a huge mansion. It was during that time that I had visited a friend’s house and I really liked the design and other features of that house. So, I entrusted architect Jibu Thomas who had designed my friend’s house to design my abode too,” says Shafi.
The exteriors sport a stunning blend of contemporary and colonial styles. The show wall with rock claddings is the highlight here. This also makes the house look taller.
This stylish mansion which sprawls in 6000 sq ft area has three floors. But, around 4000 sqft in two floors are currently in use as the top most floor isn’t furnished. The car porch is spacious enough to park two cars. Besides, there are formal and family living areas, dining space, courtyard, pantry kitchen and five bedrooms as well. Provisions to build a home theatre and a gym too are arranged as part of the house.
“I just had one demand while the house was being constructed. I wanted the interiors to be vaster and also receive lots of natural light and air. So, the spaces are designed in the semi-open style. Lots of huge windows are installed to ensure amazing cross ventilation,” explains Shafi.
The entrance door opens to the spacious formal living area that is designed by ensuring enough privacy. From here, one can enter the dining hall where the family living space too is arranged. This area is designed in double height which makes it look vaster and spacious. CNC cuttings on multi-wood adorn the wall on one side. The TV unit and a trophy unit are arranged here.
There is a courtyard and a deck space opposite this. An automatic rolling shutter is installed here. Lots of bright sunshine and cool breeze come into the house when this shutter is opened.
The dining and the pantry areas are in the open style. The pantry is in fact one of the most spectacular spaces in the interiors. Beautiful curios and elegant light fittings decorate this space. The pantry is where Shafi’s friends from the movies like to hang out whenever they drop in. The kitchen features the pleasant colour combination of white and yellow. The cabinets are in glass finish and the counter top is paved with nano white.
The stairway leads to the upper living area. The kids’ study area and Shafi’s reading room are part of this area. Besides, one could easily catch a view of the ground floor from here.
The master bedroom is in the upper storey. All the bedrooms are bath attached with wardrobes and separate dressing spaces. “The house includes many environmental friendly features as well. The 3 KW solar plant supplies the electricity that is required for the entire house,” notes the film maker. The works of the landscape in the front yard is currently under progress. Meadows that grow and spread quite quickly are being used here.
“I must say that I am a bit concerned about the overwhelming size of the house as my wife is often alone during the day time. Besides, maintenance too is little difficult. Other than that, this house makes us happy and satisfied,” concludes Shafi.
