PremiumExclusive! RJ Shaan confirms plans of directorial debut with Manju Warrier-starrer
The scriptwriter had earlier worked with the Malayalam star in his debut script C/o Saira Bhanu
Last Updated: 01.07 PM, Mar 29, 2022
Radio jockey-turned-scriptwriter RJ Shaan’s short film Freedom@Midnight, starring Anupama Parameshwaran and Hakkim Shajahan, was only a prelude to his grand plans. In an exclusive chat with OTTplay, Shaan confirmed to us that he is gearing up for his directorial debut.
Shaan, who wrote and directed Freedom@Midnight, tells us, “I am planning to do a movie with Manju Warrier soon.” He, however, said everything is still at a planning stage. Shaan had worked with Manju for his debut script C/o Saira Bhanu, which released in 2017 and was directed by Antony Sony.
Meanwhile, Shaan’s second script Paappan is now ready for release. The crime drama, which has Suresh Gopi, Kaniha, Neeta Pillai and Nyla Usha as part of the cast, could have been his directorial debut, had veteran filmmaker Joshiy passed it on.
“I had written the script of Paappan during the first lockdown,” Shaan tells us. “Once it was complete, I had given the script to friend and cinematographer Ajay David Kachappilly to read, and he was excited about it. He then suggested that we approach Joshiy sir with this. I was planning to direct it. But while writing it, I knew it was a film that had to be made on Joshiy sir’s level. Somehow all of it fell into place, none of it was pre-meditated.”
The scriptwriter also says that collaborating with Joshiy has also helped him learn more about the craft of writing. “I told him more than the high of working with him as a writer, I would enjoy the lessons I would gain as the subordinate of someone who has a wealth of experience,” he says. “He is a personality that I admire a lot because more than the respect he gives you as a writer, you get to see how open-minded he is and how keen he is to learn. I want to work with him in more films. He likes how new people write and wants to explore new formats of script writing. At the same time, he is also able to mentor us in that format. I could learn a lot from him and that has helped me in my upcoming scripts too.”
Incidentally, both C/o Saira Bhanu and Paappan have protagonists that are older than him and have been through experiences in life. “I have always liked making friends with people who are older than me; I like people who are more experienced than me in life. I try to explore and journey through their lives, and that’s probably why I like thinking up such characters. It also has to do with my life experiences. I am someone who began working at 18 years of age, and all my colleagues were older than me,” he says.
Paapan, which has Suresh Gopi playing a retired police officer who takes up a case, is set to release in theatres on April 28. “We don’t want to hype the movie, but I am sure it will make for a cinematic experience,” Shaan concludes.