Basil Joseph’s new film Godha is a sports comedy pivoted around wrestling.
Wrestling was a traditional sport in Kerala in the sixties and its players were revered as stars said Joseph, who did extensive research on the sport prior to filming.
“Many fathers even considered wrestlers as a prospective groom for their daughters and it was a matter of pride to marry one. Besides wrestling was a passport to procuring government jobs,” he said.
With the emergence of other sports, wrestling has become a less popular.
In Godha, Thomas Tovino plays the lead role of Anjaneya Das, son of a reputed wrestler. Das, a happy-go-lucky guy, is not interested in the sport. Renji Panicker plays Das’s father, Captain Pehelwan.
Punjabi actress Wamiqa Gabbi is paired opposite Tovino. She plays Aditi Singh, a tomboy who finds her place in a male dominated society.
Joseph said that filming the action sequences were his biggest challenge as he did not have any films to refer to when he began work on Godha. Bollywood’s Sultan and Dangal came later. Joseph himself choreographed the wrestling scenes.
The supporting cast includes Aju Verghese, Bala Saravanan and Maamu Koya.
“Wamiqa is more than a heroine, her role is something to watch out for,” promised Joseph.
He added: “Don’t compare Godha with Dangal or Sultan. Ours is a small budget film and we have put in our very best to make it as realistic as possible.”
Godha releases in the UAE on May 25.
