PremiumMalavika Mohanan and Mathew Thomas' Christy warranted a big budget and that was challenging: Alvin Henry | Exclusive
Christy filmmaker Alvin Henry tells us about what went into creating the film starring Malavika Mohanan and Mathew Thomas
Last Updated: 11.00 AM, Feb 17, 2023
The debut movie is always special for a filmmaker. But for debutant Alvin Henry, the joy is doubled as his first film Christy, starring Mathew Thomas and Malavika Mohanan, is also based on his life. The film, which also has eminent writers GR Indugopan and Benyamin as its screenwriters, is a story of teenage infatuation, set in the picturesque locations of Poovar in Thiruvananthapuram.
“Christy is not just a story that’s very close to my heart, but it was a tale that I was supremely confident about,” says Alvin, in an exclusive chat with OTTplay. On choosing the movie to make his debut, he explains, “I knew I could tell my story set in my land in the most beautiful way possible. Also, the incidents that happened in my life were also cinematic. So, it made more sense to choose that as the subject of my first film. I also knew how to picturise my land, inside out, for this movie.”
Ask him as a first-time filmmaker if it was tough to assemble the team that also has Bheeshma Parvam cinematographer Anend C Chandran and composer Govind Vasantha, and he says, “That was challenging. This is a film that had to be made on a big canvas and it was difficult to pull that off with the lead cast of just Mathew and Malavika. But they were the most apt for the film.”
Mathew plays a Poovar-based youth named Roy, while Malavika essays the titular role of Christy. “Mathew also had my mannerisms and was closer to how I looked when I was young. He was the only choice for this role. Our producers stood by us and that’s what made this movie possible,” Alvin says.
It’s also after a gap of five years that Malavika, who had made her debut in Malayalam a decade ago, is returning to the industry. “She was looking for good scripts and that’s when I had approached her with Christy. I first sent her the synopsis. Govind had already composed the music based on the story I had narrated to him. I also forwarded her the music and that’s when she asked for the script. After I mentioned the names of the two big writers (GR Indugopan and Benyamin), they were also interested. Her mother had read the script and she loved it. That’s how Malavika became part of the movie,” says Alvin.
The film also marks the screenwriting debut of Benyamin, who is known for his literary works including Aadujeevitham. Incidentally, Benyamin is also essaying a pivotal role in the movie. “Christy also has a literary characteristic to it. Moreover, it was set in South Kerala. So, it was producer CV Sarathi who had suggested approaching Indugopan and Benyamin sir to handle the South and North Kerala aspects, respectively,” says Alvin.
The film, which also has Sajai Sebastian, is set to hit theatres on February 17.