Senna Hegde is not one to sit on his laurels. The director, who won the national award for the best Malayalam film for his Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam, is busy finishing 1744 White Alto and plans to start shooting for Padmini in September. In the meantime, he is also planning a sequel for Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam, which caught the attention of viewers for its theme, treatment and Malayalam dialogues in the Kasaragod dialect. Moreover, it was set and shot in Kanhangad, mostly with a cast and crew who hailed from there.
Says Senna: “ 1744 White Alto is not a film like that. It has been shot in Kasaragod but it could have been made anywhere in Kerala. It is a crime comedy about two white Alto cars that get swtiched; one belongs to a person wanted by the police.”
Starring Sharafudheen in the lead, it is about cops and “some low life forms”. He explains that it is an over-the-top stylised movie on the lines of a Western film. The trailer shows an arid landscape and plaintive, minimalistic notes of the guitar enhance the feel of a classic Western.
Stylised treatment
“Only the treatment is like a Western but the plot is local and the film unfolds in Kerala. There was no attempt to stick to one dialect in this film. As it happens in most places in Kerala, there is a mix of dialects and each actor speaks in her or his dialect,” explains Senna.
Admitting that awards are certainly nice and encouraging, he points out that it also depends on a certain amount of luck and the composition of the jury on that particular day. “This is not discounting the hard work or dedication of the team involved in Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam. Malayalam cinema has had a golden run during the last two years and so there were strong contenders for the award. Another jury may have given the awards to some other films.” He adds that though he heard rumours that Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam was in the reckoning for the National award, when they did bag it, it came as a pleasant surprise for him and the team of the film.
Moving on to 1744 White Alto, he says he cast Sharaf in the lead as he always liked his work and felt that he was under-rated as an actor. “He has all the ingredients to be in the top bracket. No matter how big or small his role, he does a good job,” avers Senna. Sreeraj Raveendran and Senna share the credits for the screenplay of 1744 White Alto. The director hopes the film will be released soon after Onam.
“These are tough times and people are finding it difficult to release small-scale films in theatres. So it is up to the producers of 1744 White Alto,” says Senna.
By September, Senna hopes to begin shooting for Padmini, a comedy drama helmed by Kunchacko Boban and Aparna Balamurali and written by Deepu Pradeep, the writer of Kunjiramayanam.
“It will be shot in Malabar but not necessarily in Kasaragod. Most probably, the shooting will be by September-end in Wayanad.”
