Ratheena PT on directing Mammootty, Parvathy for her debut film Puzhu: 'It was a blessing to have such good actors'

This is director Ratheena PT’s first Malayalam film and she has onboard two powerhouses of talent, Mammootty and Parvathy, as the protagonists. Her film Puzhu is set to release on 13 May on SonyLiv and expectations are high given that we see Mammootty in a strong negative role after many years. In this chat, Ratheena opens up about the film, the stars and what people can expect from Puzhu.

Mammootty and Parvathy are talented and powerful performers and this is your first directorial. Were you nervous to direct them?

Ratheena: It was more challenging; I didn’t feel nervous. I got the finest actors like you said. You can easily communicate with actors who come with such knowledge as they’re clear about what they’re going to do on camera - what should be done and what shouldn’t be. For me, it was a blessing that I got such good actors and Mammukka is a legend! There’s nothing I can say about him because he has done so many roles. It was such a beautiful process directing them. I knew them both of them from before so they gave me space as well.

Did they improvise as well?

Ratheena: Definitely. As a director, we just give them the characters; as actors, they will decide on how to enact that role. They don’t just do what the director tells them to but they add their understanding of the character and experience to the role as well. It was a give and take process and they gave their best.

We know Mammooty is playing a negative character in Puzhu. How is it different from the previous negative ones he has played?

Ratheena: We can’t exactly say that he hasn’t done a role like this earlier. In Vidheyan (1994), he plays a negative role and we never liked or loved him throughout the film. The character he plays in Puzhu is also similar - we won’t like him from the first frame to the last. At the same time, this role is fresh for him and this character is set in a different story and the way he is will be different as well. It will be new for the audience because the present generation has not seen Vidheyan and celebrated it. It’ll be a new experience for the audience today.

In one of your interviews, you said Puzhu has a socially relevant theme. Can you elaborate?

Ratheena: People have different opinions about a puzhu (worm). According to me, when we see the food chain, the worm is at the bottom of the soil. I think this is an appropriate theme for this movie. We have a lot of meanings for words and in Malayalam puzhu is ‘adhaman’ meaning the slowest category. The movie is socially relevant as it has a connection to what is happening in our society and what we see every day. I don’t want to explain too much and kill the suspense. (Laughs)

Due to the covid pandemic, we saw many interesting Malayalam films release like CU Soon and Home. But many also released on OTT versus theatres. What do you think about this trend?

Ratheena: We are used to theatres and we have a lot of emotions attached to a movie releasing in theatres. But everything changes - earlier, we never thought movies can be seen right from home and the pandemic has changed this. OTT was only for watching new movies during the pandemic. I don’t think we should look at it as theatre versus OTT; after a few years., movies may be directly released on television. I want people to watch my film and with OTT, the positive is that everyone gets to watch it globally at the same time. For instance, if it rains we may not go to the theatre but with OTT you don’t have such issues. Personally, that’s important for me that everyone gets to watch it simultaneously in the convenience of their homes.

This is Harshad’s story; is this your first collaboration with Harshad?

Ratheena: I haven’t worked with him before but I was called to Unda set by Mammukka. Harshad has written the screenplay for Unda and I met him there. Earlier, I had narrated a story to Mammukka and he liked it. He introduced me to Harshad ikka to write the screenplay but due to the pandemic and the fact that it was a large-scale film, we decided to work on something else. And that’s how Puzhu was born.

So are you planning to work on the other film now with Mammukka?

Ratheena: (Laughs) Everyone is asking me that now! I will have to as Mammukka only about that.

When people watch Puzhu what should be their takeaway from the film?

Ratheena: The movie will make people think. And I want people to think. They may have different perspectives but they should think about what Puzhu narrates.

Puzhu releases on SonyLIV on 13 May

Latha Srinivasan is a senior journalist based in Chennai. Her passion is entertainment, travel, and dogs.

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