Vineeth Srinivasan’s ‘Thattathin Marayathu’ raises expectations

Vineeth Srinivasan’s second film, Thattathin Marayathu has a lot of expectations pinned on it. As aware as Srinivasan might be of that, the smiling, softly-spoken actor-director sits relaxed as we meet over a cup of tea. His debut film, Malarvaadi Arts Club, starring Nivin Pauly, was well received.

Thattathin Marayathu (meaning “behind the veil”) stars Nivin Pauly and Isha Talwar, a newcomer.

Q: What is the film like?

“This is a feel good story, a love tale between a Hindu boy and a Muslim girl. While the core of all love stories are the same, what makes each different from the other is the premises and socio-economic situation pegged upon. My love story is set in north Kerala, in Thalassery.”

Beyond that, you can’t get more out of Srinivasan, who got his start as a playback singer with the chart topper, Karale Karalinte, from Udayanu Tharam. He sings two self-composed two songs in the movie.

The story came to him in 2010, soon after the release of his first film.

“The spark for this emerged while reading a short story written by M.J. Akbar. And, a love story gives you a lot to explore around.”

Q: Has he been in love?

‘Of course, lot of times,” laughs the 27-year-old, adding that he’s borrowed experiences from his own love life.

“There are several cute moments from my life and that of my friends. I have taken them and redesigned it for the script.”

This script was nine months in the making. “It’s the writing part that is hard,” explains the engineering graduate.

“You are alone in your room with just your thoughts for company. You can’t go over the top with the screenplay. The dialogues have to be real, the emotions be conveyed in the right amount and the characters portrayed credibly. Even in the pre-production stage, you keep tweaking it. There is always room for improvement.”

Q: What about tips from his father?

“He gives a lot of freedom. He liked my story. I had written it in Malayalam, but on his suggestion, I changed the lines to Thalassery dialect. He believes that it will bring out the essence of the backdrop of the story.”

Q: Actor, singer, script writer and director; how does he juggle the roles?

“For me shooting is a celebration. I find that exciting. I have a good team and our chemistry is instantaneous,” says the actor who won Asianet’s Best Male New Face of the Year, for his debut film, Cycle.

Shaan Rahman and he have been buddies since the time they brought out their first album, Coffee at MG Road, in 2008.

Talking about the music, he says “Anu Elizabeth, a software professional, is the main lyricist of the film. It’s a rarity to find women lyric writers in the Malayalam industry. I felt a woman could lend a soft feel to a song and give it a different perspective.”