PremiumExclusive! Chemban Vinod, Sreenath Bhasi and Mythili’s Chattambi is based on true incidents from the 90s
The movie is directed by Abhilash Kumar and is scripted by Don Palathara
Last Updated: 12.35 PM, Dec 07, 2021
While the pandemic lockdown stalled the shoot of Salt N’ Pepper and 22 Female Kottayam co-scriptwriter Abhilash Kumar’s directorial debut Simply Soumya, it paved way for another project titled Chattambi, which is raw, hard-hitting and has a casting that is aimed “at breaking stereotypes”.
The makers of the movie, which has Sreenath Bhasi, Chemban Vinod, Grace Antony, Binu Pappu, Mythili and Guru Somasundaram as part of the cast, had released its title poster last week.
Talking to OTTplay, Abhilash discusses how the project was greenlit during the pandemic. “Ever since we completed 1956, Central Travancore, (its director) Don Palathara and I have been talking about a lot of projects. Just when we had started filming Simply Soumya, the first lockdown was announced and we thought of doing a smaller film with a limited crew. That’s how Chattambi took shape; it was a project that Don was planning to direct. What we did was take Don’s screenplay and get the film’s cinematographer Alex Joseph, who is also a writer, to bring in elements that would make it suitable for a theatrical viewing,” says the filmmaker.
On the plot of the film, which is in its final stages of filming, Abhilash explains, “It’s loosely based on true incidents that happened in 1994-95. It’s inspired by real people who in the 90s ran illegal arrack distillation units, were loan sharks and had real-estate businesses. The main characters are Chemban Vinod, Sreenath Bhasi and Binu Pappu, and the movie explores the character dynamics of the trio along with thrilling elements,” he says.
The film, which is aiming at an April 2022 theatrical release, is also deeply-rooted to the places where the story is set – that is Vandanmedu and Chellarkovil, near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
Abhilash was set to work with Grace Antony for Simply Soumya last year but could only complete a day’s shoot. “Grace makes everything look effortless – be it Halal Love Story or Kumbalangi Nights. That’s one of the reasons I cast her in Simply Soumya. Though physically she was miscast, I had the confidence that she could pull off the role. It’s again the faith in the actor in her that made us approach her for Chattambi. She plays Chemban’s wife in it,” he says.
Mythili plays Raji, who has a bad reputation because she is an outsider, says Abhilash. “She comes from Thodupuzha and tags along with Chemban’s character as his paramour and his business partner of sorts. When you think of a woman in 1995 in the arrack business, you would imagine someone who is on the heavier side and wearing a mundu. I wanted to break those stereotypes. Also, it’s been a long-time since we have seen Mythili and she has been waiting for something substantial to do as well. When we told her about this role, she was more than happy to take it up,” he says.
Bhasi plays the titular character of the goon in the movie. “There is a wilder side of Bhasi that no one has tried to explore. I wanted to showcase that and he has performed so much better than what I had expected. He plays a raw character,” says Abhilash, who had last year directed the actor in the music video KozhiPunk.