Sunday, April 12, 2009

Dynamic duo of Chocolate fame



That was one direct cut from the Indian Penal Code to tinsel town. They knew the pulse of the youth when they penned one of the biggest hits in 2007. The brains behind the astonishing box-office bang of Chocolate were two practising advocates from Kochi - Sachitanandan and Sethunath. The audience of the film was in for a surprise as the film had a never-told-before story line, a streak of freshness and finally a star-flock suiting the roles. The scripting duo Sachi- Sethu made news as the rights of the script fetched big bucks when sold to a company which plans to remake it in all Indian languages. Though they are perfect professionals Sachi and Sethu insist that their foray into filmdom was no accident. They both share a past lost in film clubs and theatre. “It was the synergy of two people who were equally smitten by the silver screen,” says Sachi. Though Chocolate was their first release, their first script was Robin Hood, an action adventure now completing production with Prithvi Raj in the lead. Robin Hood is about a high-tech thief who specialises in ATM looting. Prithvi Raj plays the smart crook who systematically and scientifically loots the ATM counters in the city. “Robin Hood was more challenging as it required some intricate detailing and updating of facts. We need to explain technical aspects in a simple way that even an ordinary cine-goer can enjoy. Chocolate was a light campus comedy, but Robin Hood has a serious subject,” Sethu adds. Director Ranjith comes as the investigator and the whole movie is based on the robber-police camaraderie. “It has the tension of a crime drama. But the treatment is humorous and you can call it a complete youth film,” says Sethu. The USP of the film is its plot, a subject no Malayalam film has treated so far. “ ATMs are now very common. Almost sixty five percent of people in Kerala use ATMs, so that makes the subject all the more interesting,” adds Sethu. The hero played by Prithvi Raj is a Brahmin youth who works as a teacher in the daytime and metamorphoses at night into an expert burglar equipped with ultra-modern technology. “Robin Hood was written under the Ram Gopal Varma wave three years back. But now we have revamped the script to suit the current trend,” says Sachi. Joshy is directing the film after his recent hit Twenty Twenty and Bhavana plays one of the female leads. Both of them feel that the sensibilities of Malayalis have changed over the years. They say all the Malayali audience wants now are fast paced films with happy endings. “You can see the audience growing restless when some sentimental or emotional scene is on,” they point out. They also have a view that very often we stoop to double standards when it comes to other language films. “Can you imagine the destiny of the film Anyan if it is made in Malayalam? We accepted it only because the characters spoke Tamil,” Sachi adds. Sachi and Sethu say that they are not star-struck and Prithvi Raj came as a natural choice for both the films. “Chocolate and Robin Hood required a young, smart and bold actor. Can you name any other star in Malayalam who fits the bill?” they ask in unison. And about their plans to do a film with the big league stars they say, “First we need to zero in on a character for them. During their film career over the years both have done all possible roles. Now the problem with many films is that first they create a character and then a story is forcibly tailored around the character. Once we get a character and story that can do justice to them we will definitely go for it.”

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