‘Khajuraho Dreams’ is a Malayalam road movie that explores themes of travel and friendship

Manoj Vaasudev with Sreenath Bhasi
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A road trip that shapes five friends and their beliefs forms the crux of debutant director Manoj Vaasudev’s film Khajuraho Dreams due for release soon. A road trip as his first film does not sound like a walk in the park. It was not, Manoj confesses over the phone. “However, travel/road movies, as a genre, appeal to youngsters as they explore themes of travel and friendship plus they tend to travel more, so they like such movies,” he says.

Having spent 15 years in the entertainment industry as an ad filmmaker, assistant director to Lal Jose and line producer, the film is a dream come true for Manoj who hails from Chengannur. When he read the script by Sethu, of the writer duo Sachi-Sethu fame, Manoj knew he had to make the film. Sethu has scripted multi-actor films such as Mallu Singh, Achayans, and Cousins with actors such as Biju Menon, Manoj K Jayan, Jayaram, Kunchacko Boban, and Indrajith Sukumaran among others. This time however, Manoj wanted to make the film with the younger crop of actors — Arjun Ashokan, Sreenath Bhasi, Sharafudheen, Aditi Ravi and Dhruvan. “The younger audience relate with these guys!” 

Manoj Vaasudev
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Getting Arjun, Sreenath and Sharafudheen on a project is a casting coup of sorts; Manoj laughs in agreement. “Yes, it is. Things just fell into place…I have known Sreenath since Jacobinte Swargyarajyam. Sharaf is the only new person; before this film, I had met him socially a few times.”

The film traces the journey of these youth as they ride from Kerala through Wayanad, Mysuru, Indore and on to Khajuraho.

While on coups, filming at Khajuraho, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is no mean achievement either. Getting the paperwork approved itself was a 20-day effort but it was well worth the effort he says. “It is not easy to get a go-ahead to film there, but with the combined efforts of our producer and the Delhi-based line producer we were able to get permission from Madhya Pradesh Tourism and the Archaeological department.” Since Khajuraho Dreams is his first feature film, he wanted to film at a memorable location and Khajuraho fit the bill. 

“There are so many such beautiful places in India which go unexplored. This is my way of showing off what we have!” Initially, the crew was given just one day to film, which was later extended to three days. They filmed almost continuously to make the most of the time permitted. Even the script had to be tweaked, “We had to cut down on the number of junior artists and dancers for certain sequences since there is a restriction on the number of people permitted on location. At that point, we just wanted to finish filming but in retrospect, I can think of so many things we could have done while there,” he says. 

Though unwilling to reveal much about the film, he says, “People like to fault the younger generation, accuse them of not being socially conscious and obsessed with their smart devices. We have tried to tell a story of how this group of young people when faced with an extraordinary situation, rise to the occasion and take a stand. The characters develop with the story as they gain new experiences. They literally, and metaphorically, journey forward in life!”