Thuramukham on OTT: When you make a movie with the aim of selling it, it’s not filmmaking, says Rajeev Ravi

Despite having worked on several big projects in Bollywood as a cinematographer, director Rajeev Ravi’s Malayalam movies have been as rooted as they come. His latest movie Thuramukham, which has dropped on OTT, is his biggest project yet, with a star cast featuring Nivin Pauly, Joju George, Arjun Ashokan, Indrajith Sukumaran, Poornima Indrajith and Darshana Rajendran.

The movie documents the struggles of the proletariat force against the chappa system that prevailed in the early to mid 1900s in Cochin harbour. While the film is told from the perspective of a family in Mattanchery, Rajeev says that the “story might resonate with those who live in port cities because – be it Kochi or Miami – these places have seen a similar pattern of growth”.

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With pan-Indian films now being announced almost every month in each industry, ask Rajeev if Malayalam cinema too needs to get on that bandwagon and he says, “I don’t believe in all that. When you want to make a movie, you make a movie in the language you think is the best to tell the story. You make a film with emotion, not with the intention of selling it in different markets.”

Also read: Thuramukham on OTT: ‘Don’t understand how you can spend Rs 100 Cr on a film when people go hungry,’ says Rajeev Ravi 

The Kammatipadam director says that he believes when a filmmaker decides to make a movie, it “has to be an organic or spontaneous process of your expression”. “You never think about the markets; then it becomes like you deciding to sell your harvest in Ernakulam or Aluva market,” he explains.

Also read: Nivin Pauly: Thuramukham is an evenly-paced social drama with a moving culmination | Exclusive 

Rajeev, however, says that filmmakers now have to increasingly tackle this discussion while deciding to helm a film. “In a lot of today’s conversations and project designing, this kind of talk happens but I stay away from it. When you start thinking about it, the calculator in your head starts working and your filmmaking stops. You might make money but everything else goes for a toss,” he explains.

Thuramukham is currently streaming on Sony LIV and OTTplay Premium.