Director Amal Neerad says Iyobinte Pusthakam aims to bring a period tale that entertains without being stereotypical
Amal Neerad defies the image you might associate with him thanks to his repertoire of stylishly mounted, genre-bending and often dark movies. The director of Big B, Sagar Alias Jacky Reloaded, Anwar, Bachelor Party, 5 Sundarikal and now Iyobinte Pusthakam, surprises you with his down-to-earth nature and unassuming ease.
If guns blaze wildly in his movies and the characters go berserk with irreverent abandon, talk to Amal and he is anything but rapid-fire talkative. Measuring his words, thinking over the answers, what comes across most, however, is his passion for movies – and a mind intent on beating clichés.
An ace cinematographer who has worked with Ram Gopal Varma, Amal’s movies are loved or hated but they never fetch the indifference tag simply because he dares to be different.
If Big B became a classic take on the dark underbelly of Kochi, Anwar had a strong stand against terrorism. But Sagar Alias Jacky Reloaded and Bachelor Party were challenged by critics as vanity projects with ‘style over substance.’ But a short film, Kullante Bharya in the 5 Sundarikal anthology won Amal the adulation of his detractors.
“If Kullante Bharya got 5 stars out of 5, Bachelor Party, my first production venture, made me super-duper happy as a producer,” says Amal. “It is Bachelor Party that enabled me to produce Iyobinte Pusthakam.”
And this new film by Amal has awed masses and critics alike and is touted as a ‘modern visual classic.’ A period tale starring Fahadh Faasil, Lal, Jayasurya, Isha Sharvani and Dubai-based Reenu Mathews, Iyobinte Pusthakam explores a milieu that is a rarity in Malayalam cinema.
With the details reviewed with a fine-tooth comb, Amal’s challenge, however, was to make a “period film that is entertaining” and cuts through the clutter of stereotypes.
“Normally, a period film would mean a close crop cut for the actors and some battered clothes. I wanted to break that,” says Amal.
Set in Munnar, during the British reign of India, the film charts a family feud between brothers and also ventures into the independence era and the rise of communism in the state.
“I have always been fascinated by Munnar, where several places are still frozen in time – wearing the hangover of the British era. I have also heard a number of stories about yesteryears, so I was keen to make a political movie that captures the soul of Munnar,” says Amal.
To be true to its milieu yet be entertaining – the approach of Hollywood films such as True Grit or The Wolf of Wall Street – was the route Amal adopted. “That meant detailing about every aspect – from costumes to background score and yet have the audiences entertained.”
He, therefore, agrees to one of the criticisms about songs being thrust into the narrative as justifiable. “The refined audiences questioned the songs while the youth loved them. They were placed largely to meet the entertainment quotient,” says Amal.
Amal’s contribution to the film is not just as producer or director. He also takes up the camera – and that has earned him the most praise.
Trained in cinematography at the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute of India and then in Berlin on a scholarship, Amal has always been a die-hard movie fan. When he moved to Maharajah’s College in Kochi (which he describes as the choice of the culturally inspired) he met with a group of youngsters who all dream cinema and were active in arts. From Anwar Rasheed to Aashiq Abu, the group, coincidentally, has also brought a new idiom to Malayalam cinema today.
Amal was active in the youth festival circuit with his passion for photography. “I used to do pretty much everything – from portraits to wedding photos.” When he applied to film school, the authorities found his photographs so compelling they assigned him the cinematography major as against direction which he sought.
“Calcutta and Berlin training is one thing but finding work is another,” says Amal. “At college, I would boast of the credentials of Malayalam cinema and my dream to return and work on films. But returning home, I just could not find any work.”
Bollywood however blew his mind. He had sent across the portfolio to Ram Gopal Varma’s production house and the next thing he knew he had a flight ticket arranged to Mumbai. He wielded the camera for James, Shiva and Darna Zaroori Hai but the long schedules of Bollywood films had him itching for more work.
Big B, his debut as director, fresh from the Mumbai experience, made Amal a name to reckon with in Malayalam cinema. “While the industry welcomes new actors and directors, it is difficult for new technicians to find work in Malayalam. Big B was different. We had a rich crew of new talent – all of them now seasoned cinematographers.”
He, however, sought to do the camera for Iyobinte Pusthakam himself, first “because I couldn’t find anyone handy for the duration of the film’s schedule or because I was a bit selfish and wanted to do it.”
And he says there was absolutely no extra preparation to enhance the cinematography of the movie “because being the producer, I was even more aware of the resources and constraints.”
In fact, at a point when it seemed Amal could not shoulder the film alone, actor Fahadh Faasil stepped in as co-producer. “He was really helping me out with this movie and I thank him for that.”
The big plus of Iyobinte Pusthakam is its near-perfect casting, more so because Amal is not the sort of director who acts out the scenes and relies on the instincts of his actors. “I already shared a strong rapport with Fahadh and Lal; the real challenge was in finding an actor for Angur Rawther. We had considered several others before roping in Jayasurya. He just brought in a very different energy. He was the one who suggested having a golden tooth.” The role has turned out to be a career-best for Jayasurya.
Amal also brings in a Maharajah’s College and now family connection to the film with its writer Gopan Chidambaram. “He was my senior at college and one we would look up to; he is now married to my sister.
” Naturally, the script evolved over several family sessions to finally deliver a gleaming hit that makes the Amal Neerad banner proud. Iyobinte Pusthakam is now playing at theatres in the UAE.
