PARADESI- About alienation in ones own soil

P.T. Kunjumuhammed (PTK), who is an ex-MLA too, has made his mark as a serious filmmaker, a lover of meaningful cinema, with just two films.

Magrib and Gershome both focused on individuals who live like lonely, isolated islands in their own land, amidst their own people.

The protagonist in Magrib feels and experiences the same kind of alienation as is felt by the protagonist in Gershome. It is perhaps a continuation to this that PTK attempts in his forthcoming film Paradesi, featuring Mohanlal in lead role.

Paradesi, produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner of A&A Productions and scripted by the director himself, tells the story of Valiyakathu Moosa, who is cut off from his roots, because of political developments.

Hailing from a village in North Kerala, Valiyakathu Moosa goes to Karachi seeking employment during the days of the British Raj. Post-Partition, Moosa comes back and settles down in Kerala, marries and has a family of his own. But the sad thing about Moosa is that as per official records he is not an Indian citizen. Pakistan too refuses to accept him. Thus he is neither here nor there. It's the story of this character that is narrated in Paradesi.

The film also has Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Shwetha Menon, Kavya Madhavan, Sreenivasan, Vijayaraghavan, Cochin Haneefa, Nilambur Ayisha etc. Songs penned by Rafeeque Ahmed have been set to tune by Ramesh Narayanan and Shahbaz Aman. Cinematography by K.G. Jayan, editing by Don Max and Art Direction by Gireesh Menon are the other highlights of the film. PTK speaks to Unni Nair of nowrunning.com about Paradesi and its making:

Please comment on the theme of Paradesi.

Paradesi is about an individual getting alienated in his won society, his own country. Valiyakathu Moosa, the protagonist of the film, finds himself neither an Indian nor a Pakistani. He is considered as an alien in his own country. There are people who even see him as a spy. But he has his roots here. The film focuses on the life and fate of this character.

Why did you choose such a subject for your film?

There have been many such people in Kerala, who have been alienated in their own society in a similar manner. I myself have met and spoken to many such people. I felt that this is an issue that should be discussed seriously indeed. And hence this film.

Why did you choose Mohanlal for the lead role?

It's a challenging role and only an actor of Mohanlal's caliber can do justice to it. The film shows Valiyakathu Moosa in three stages of his life, starting from his thirties and extending up to his eighties. I am sure that Mohanlal would do full justice to the role.

Could your bringing in of Mohanlal, Shwetha Menon, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Kavya Madhavan, Cochin Haneefa and others in the cast be seen as an attempt at turning yourself into a director of commercial cinema?

I won't say that it's not a commercial film. Paradesi is a commercial film with popular artists, songs etc. But it's going to be something more than a mere commercial film. It will delve into an issue that is sensitive and serious.

What are the other highlights of the film?

Much importance has been given to the technical aspects including cinematography and sound recording. The film opens in the present and travels back to the past, to the 1960's. We have used all possible means to re-create the period. It is going to be a totally different film.

Click the Movie button below for more info:
Paradesi