Debutant director Girish Panicker Mattada’s film, The Gambinos, is a tale of a family entrenched in crime. Radhika Saratkumar, who plays the key role, is the matriarch around whom the narrative is built. The title is inspired by the name of one of the world’s top crime families in the world, Gambinos, which dominated organised crime in New York city.
Radhika and her four sons are referred to by the police as the Gambinos after the original crime family. Despite the theme, however, the film does not resort to depicting blood and gore. “I have tried to approach the theme in a different angle, express the terror and anguish through emotions,” says Girish. “This film needed a strong female lead and I had Radhika in mind while developing the matriarch’s character sketch. I discussed the role with her and she was only too happy to essay it.”
The other prominent roles are handled by Vishnu Vinay, Sijoy Varghese, Sampath Raj, Salu K George, Sreejith Ravi, Musthafa and Neeraja.
A student of the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, the film is for Girish, the realisation of a dream. Having assisted director Vinayan in some of his films such as Independence, Daivathinte Makan, Karumadikuttan, and Kasi (Tamil), he moved to New Zealand where he pursued his post graduation in Hotel Management. However, his heart was in films. A short film, which he made won an award and this got him thinking. “I decided I should pursue filmmaking seriously,” he says.
Though he had had hands-on experience on the sets assisting Vinayan, the film school experience shaped him as a director, Girish believes. “There one has to go through the entire experience of cinema. From scripting to delivery—every aspect of a film has to be thought out and experimented with, it gives you a deeper understanding of the medium.” Girish set up his own production studio Kangaroo Broadcasting in Sydney, Australia, where he is based. The idea of a full feature film in Malayalam was always at the back of his mind and then The Gambinos took shape.
“I did a lot of homework for this project. However, the team helped me a great deal. The shoot was done in 26 days,” he says. Shot in and around Kozhikode, the cast and crew went about the filming in an organised manner. “We would start shooting at 7.30 am every day and pack up at 9 pm. Every one on the sets contributed to the film. From the script onwards, we ensured that things went according to plan. Every little aspect was taken into account,” he says.
Though he has been away, Girish has constantly kept in touch with the industry in Kerala and is up to date on the developments. His international exposure has only helped him be more flexible. “The process of filmmaking is the same the world over. All one needs is the commitment.”
Sakkir Madathil has penned the script. Elban Krishna is handling the camera. Composer Jakes Bejoy (Ranam) is putting together the music and background score. Editing is by Shafique Mohammed Ali, costumes by Jomon Joseph, and art by Nathan Mannur.
The Gambinos is set for release by the end of this year.