Prithviraj Sukumaran on looking ahead to ‘Kuruthi’ and a quiet Onam

Traditionally, Onam is seen as the occasion for big releases in Malayalam cinema. Watching an Onam release is an inevitable part of the festivities. This year, however, the much-awaited Kuruthi, directed by Manu Warrier, drops on Amazon Prime Video on August 11. The film starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, Murali Gopy, Mamukoya, Srindaa and Roshan Mathew was due for theatrical release in May, but took the OTT route due to the second wave.

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Prithviraj is also the film’s producer; it is one of the many hats he wears including actor, director, distributor and sometimes singer, too. Kuruthi is Prithviraj’s [Prithviraj Productions] third production after 9 and Driving License. His first film, as director, was the Mohanlal-starrer Lucifer (2019), he is directing his next, Bro Daddy.

Rather than panic-monger, he speaks of the coexistence of OTT films with theatre films, where all stakeholders would traverse both.

“This new OTT phenomenon to which people are now used to watching cinema is here to stay, whether there is a pandemic or not.But the closure of theatres? That is not permanent. I disagree with people who tell me that the OTT phenomenon spells doom for theatre releases. Theatres will be back, up and running. What this pandemic has done for the entertainment industry in India is that it has given birth to an offshoot. And I foresee a future where content will be commissioned by stakeholders such as OTT platforms and satellite partners.”

Edited excerpts from an interview:

The trailer is cryptic. What is Kuruthi about?

It is because there is only so little we can say without giving away the plot. People should ideally discover it while watching the film. For that reason my answer is also going to be cryptic. If you want to classify the film into a genre then it is a socio-political thriller. But that just makes it ‘flat’.

It is about an unstoppable force of violence meeting an immovable object of faith. It is also about how a group of ordinary people who, when pushed to the limit, change and react. It is also about how dangerous hate is, it is something that feeds itself.

What about the Kuruthi script piqued your interest as producer and actor?

Every film I have produced till now has got me interested as an actor. I love the script for what it offers me firstly as a film lover and secondly, an actor. I have decided to produce the films I have [produced] because I had the opportunity. Also because I knew that if I produced them, I would have more control over the vision being executed properly.

Kuruthi came to me without a producer, cast or technicians attached to it. I had the privilege of taking Manu Warrier [director] and Anish Pallyal [scenarist] under my wing, like a big brother, and set up the team for them. They had no contacts in the Malayalam film industry. It was good to do this as a collaborative team effort to make sure that the vision behind the film doesn’t get diluted.

Producing a film at a time like this is a logistical nightmare…

It isn’t easy because we are constantly following the sanitisation protocols with masks and physical distancing. But now, the film industry has gotten used to the process and we know that we have to put aside a certain budget for COVID-19 protocol for each film.

Kuruthi was one of the films we were testing the waters with. Looking back, we feel we were too careful. We would not let cast and crew get out of the hotel; they would only be allowed to travel in designated cars to and from the location.

As a producer, do you have a say in the cast?

I am very involved in the films I produce and act in. Casting is important as is getting the right actors for role, it is something Malayalam cinema needs to discover. When you see big-ticket Hollywood films, you have A-listers audition for roles…that is how important it is.

With Kuruthi, I was even more involved since Manu and Anish did not have contacts here. I gave suggestions on who I thought would be great for the characters; Manu and Anish agreed. The entire casting took a week because everybody we called, agreed and said ‘We are doing it!’

You are an actor and a director. Do you take the director along for your job as an actor?

My wife tells me the director comes along when we are vacationing too! [laughs] So I am sure he comes along when I am acting. You need to distance yourself [as director] when you walk into a film as actor. The film is the director’s vision. I would be lying if I say I shut off as director and that I am not thinking at all.

When you read a scene in your vanity van, you might think this is how it is going to pan out and you work on it accordingly. But when you go to the set and realise it is completely different from yours, as it is somebody else’s vision. As an actor, it is extremely important to trust that vision. You have to believe that it is the best version of the scene. Only then can you be involved with the scene with complete conviction as an actor. I think I manage to do that.

Have you thought of exploring this new opportunity? Like a web series, for instance.

I must have read 20-25 scripts for web series. Unfortunately, I have not had the time [to do one]. A few popular web series in Hindi had come to me. I saw them recently and thought, ‘Man! I missed it’. But I couldn’t have done it because I had other commitments. I recently read something [a web series script], again in Hindi, which is again terrific. I don’t know if I can manage the time. An A-lister doing a web series might be news now but it will soon be the norm.

Do you see yourself doing a web series?

Definitely. I will definitely be doing a web series and OTT material. It is a fantastic platform and I am looking forward to doing it.

First Cold Case and now Kuruthi…what has been your experience with OTT?

Cinema as an art form is primarily designed for community viewing, for theatres, where people come and view it as a very large group. Neither of these films is designed for personal viewing or an OTT premiere. Kuruthi, we thought, might release on May 13, which didn’t happen. So what was the next best available option? A big OTT premiere for Onam in Kerala and 240 plus territories.