PremiumExclusive! Darshana Rajendran, Basil Joseph’s Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey is a ‘biopic of a Malayali woman’
The movie, helmed by Vipin Das, has the Minnal Murali director playing the husband of the Hridayam actress’ character
Last Updated: 11.07 AM, Jan 27, 2022
Darshana Rajendran and Basil Joseph, who are part of two of the biggest hits in Malayalam recently – Hridayam and Minnal Murali respectively, are set to join hands for director Vipin Das’ upcoming satire titled Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey.
Talking about the movie to OTTplay, the Mudhugauv director says, “Darshana plays Jaya in the film, which has a song titled Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hai, but more importantly, is a biopic of a middle-class Malayali woman. The script has tried to cover all the challenges girls face – be it discrimination or other struggles – while growing up. Though it’s a realistic film that middle-class Indian women can instantly relate to, we have tried to present it as a satire.”
Basil essays Jaya’s husband in the film. “The movie also takes a look at the men in her life – her father, brother, boyfriend, husband, cousins and uncles – and the problems she faces because of them.”
The filmmaker says that Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey spans from the birth of Jaya till she’s 23 years old. “Darshana will be playing the character from the age of 14 till 23,” says the director, who also has a dark thriller titled Anthakshari set to release next month on Sony LIV.
The team is yet to finalise the rest of the cast of the film, which is set to begin shooting by mid-May in Kollam. “We chose Kollam as the principal location because cashews have an integral role in the movie and it’s told in that flavour. Kollam is the place where cashewnuts are grown extensively and it’s also where a lot of women-oriented initiatives have taken birth. We have tried to use that history in the film. The characters will also be speaking in Kollam dialect,” he says.
Incidentally, Darshana and Basil are also part of actor-director Vineeth Kumar’s untitled mystery drama, which has Tovino Thomas in the lead. The movie had wrapped up shooting last year and is expected to hit theatres soon.