Aakaashathinu Thazhe, a Malayalam art-house film is all set to go on floors, director Lijeesh Mullezhath told Silverscreen India.
The film produced by the AmmA films banner is Mullezhath’s first and is said to be centred around the life of a woman from the Dalit community.
Unlike other films where posters are released on other social media handles of other celebrities, the makers of this film had several hundred women from all walks of life, launch their poster.
Speaking about the film Lijeesh said, “The treatment will be that of an art film with some drama elements. However, unlike most art films which are confined as film festival at and award-oriented projects, Aakaashathinu Thazhe aims to tell a story that will be relatable and understandable to the general audience”.
The female protagonist will be played by actor and theatre artist Siji Pradeep who was last seen in Bharathapuzha, the 2021 Malayalam film. Lijeesh said that Aakaashathinu Thazhe will revolve around a Dalit woman named Shantha who goes through several problems in her life.
“Shantha’s self-respect is at jeopardy and she is confronted with an identity crisis. The story unfolds with Shantha overcoming the struggles after being in a helpless state,” Lijeesh said. He added that he could resonate with Shantha’s predicament.
Lijesh also said that the film will not preach right or wrong to the audience but will only highlight the issues and raise questions which will make the audience ponder.
The team is planning to begin filming in January 2022, he said. “The film will be shot in Thrissur near Poomala dam. Since we have a few outdoor sequences it would be convenient to shoot once Covid-19 lockdown restrictions are relaxed in the State. We are currently looking to audition people for the role of a young girl around the age of eleven who would play a significant role in this film. We are also looking to give preference to theatre artists and newcomers for other roles,” he added.
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Lijeesh said that scriptwriter Pradeep Mandur who had earlier written Njan Ninnodu Koodeyundu came up with this story idea at a time when he was looking to intently work on interesting scripts. “This is when I met Mandur and asked him if he had any idea. When he told a one-liner summarising Aakaashathinu Thazhe, I was immediately excited. The film’s script was completed a couple of months ago. The rest of the cast and crew will be announced in the coming days,” Lijeesh said.
Director Lijeesh had previously worked with the directors Priyanandan and Omar Lulu. He has assisted the latter in films like Happy Wedding, Oru Adaar Love and Dhamaka.
AmmA, the production house is known for producing National Award-winning Pulijanmam, Namakkore Akasham and Iratta Jeevitham.