What is it to be the widow of a football legend like V.P. Sathyan?
G. Prajesh Sen’s debut film Captain traces the life of Kerala’s football player who died at 41.
Sen’s film grew from an interview he did with Satyan’s wife Anitha. He was working as sub-editor of Madhyamam Daily then. Even after the story went into print, Sen could not get Anitha’s pain out of his mind.
There were many things left unsaid, he felt. Cinema offered him a wider canvas.
“It was under Satyan’s captaincy that Kerala won the Santosh Trophy after nineteen years,” said the Kilimanoor native.
After assisting Malayalam director Siddique, Sen started work on Captain. His research took three years before he stepped onto the field. A sports film is unlike a regular film — moreover, this story was set in the ’90s. Recreating that time frame was the first challenge.
Jayasurya, who essays Satyan’s character, had never played football. So he trained in the game for a few months before shooting commenced. Anu Sithara met Anitha for input. Sen found his team of 100 players after an audition that drew response from 7,000 football players from different parts of India.
Sports choreographer T. Joy assisted him in the staging of the matches. Sen remembered shooting the final scene of the Santosh Trophy as a huge task.
The hard work has paid with Captain receiving applause among the audience.
Captain, produced by Goodwill Entertainments, releases in the UAE on March 1.
