“My name is C.K. Raghavan. I have not killed anyone”.
Raghavan, a former driver, is charged with a double murder — and one of the deceased is his wife. He is serving a prison term for the crimes. Around this peg revolves Malayalam cinematographer Venu’s second directorial venture, Munnariyuppu.
In an exclusive conversation with tabloid!, Venu talked about his film.
“Munnariyuppu means ‘warning’, but the tagline reads ‘the deadline,” said the three-time National-award-winning cinematographer.
Mammootty plays C.K. Raghavan, who is in no hurry to get out of jail. A young and dashing journalist, Anjali Arakkal, meets him and she finds Raghavan an object of interest.
“Raghavan becomes a genius to be discovered and over time she starts owning him and dictates terms.”
Playing Anjali is Aparna Gopinath, last seen in Gangster.
This is Venu’s second film. His debut film, Daya, made in 1998, won the Kerala state award for Best Debut Director.
While Venu has written the story for the film, the script was penned by Unni R.
“It is a straight narrative with elements of suspense. I have used a natural and realistic look for the story. There is no romance or music.”
About Mammootty, he said, “He is phenomenally impressive. For this role, he has taken a different approach and his character is on a different line altogether.”
Praising Gopinath’s dedication to her work, Venu added that he was satisfied with the outcome.
The supporting cast includes Joy Mathews, Pratap Pothen and Nedumudi Venu.
Munnayiruppu is produced by Gold Coin Motion Picture Company. Released in India last month, it has been getting great reviews.
Besides being screened at the Chicago South Asian film festival on September 20, Munnariyuppu has been selected for the Bombay International Film Festival to be held in October in the India Gold category.
