According to producer Suresh Kumar, ‘Vashi’ is a ‘family film’. The film stars daughter Keerthi in the lead role, Revathi Kalamandir in the production banner and also as an actor. Suresh Kumar Manorama Online with more features of Vashi ….
Keerthi returns to Malayalam with Revathi Kalamandir production?
‘Vashi’ is not a film we made with Keerthi in the lead. Revathi and director Vishnu and Keerthi grew up playing together. Vishnu’s father Gopalakrishnan and I are family friends. Vishnu talks to Keerthi about the script during the Kovid lockdown. Vishnu also spoke to Tovino about it. As they both liked the story, the production came to us as well.
I heard that acting is the success of daughter Keerthi ‘Vashi’. Now in ‘Vashi’ with Keerthi?
We knew from her childhood that Keerthi had a knack for acting. Keerthi made her film debut with Kuberan. Kuberan’s shooting was in Ooty. I was in another place that day because the shooting of two films was going on together. Keerthi wakes up at 4 am when there is a shoot. The make-up box is included and ready to go on set.
Then Revathi would call and inform me about that. I realized her passion for acting that day. But I still had a little fear in me. Film is the work of a lot of people. I wanted no one to be bothered because of her there. But now I’m not afraid of her. I am also proud of her dedication to cinema.
വാശി
The opinion that Vashi is a good film is heard from many quarters. Many of the friends had called. They all say they will see when the OT comes. Why Malayalam films still have a very low theatrical collection. I do not know what the matter is. People still do not come to the theater. It seems that everyone is expecting an OTD release. I now understand that when big films like Pushpa, KGF and Vikram come to the theater, people climb. Most of the audiences who come to the theaters are between 15 and 30 years old. I understand that they see when their favorite subject comes up.
Need fight scenes
When asked from North India they still ask the number of fight scenes in the film. ‘Vashi’ is not such a film. It is a realistic film. Behind those questions seems to be evidence that some audiences still think that a film with fight scenes is good. This industry can still survive as a producer because of the addition of other rights through OTD.
OTD release
With the onset of ODT, Malayalam cinema changed completely. This is a plus point when looking at it as a manufacturer. Vashi has already taken over Netflix. It does not seem that a producer can survive well here with theatrical collection alone.
Video piracy
That’s the problem. Cancer affecting the film industry itself. It is not possible with such fake releases in the present scenario to release a film believing only in the theater. Video piracy has been around for a while. Now all that has changed and they have arrived in a new form through media platforms. In the past, we had to travel all over Kerala many times to catch fake CDs. Today it has no scope either. This is destroying the whole industry.
Many things that few people do for temporary pleasure are ruining an industry. For them, it will be a trivial matter to be in front of others. But they never think about how big the loss will be for a producer or the workers involved in this industry. It is up to the government to make efforts to prevent it. Or I have to say that the government is also making a loss on the revenue item. They must find a solution. And the only thing to say to such people is please never do such acts. And with the advent of technology like 5G, it is hoped that this will change.
It’s been 42 years since I started making movies
In hindsight, everything seems to be under God’s control. Then and now, I see and approach cinema as a passion. That is why I understand that I have been able to hold on to this field for so many years. There have been a lot of ups and downs in the film. There have been big successes and big failures. The two are only seen as one. When a film succeeds, there is no great celebration. So when another fails, it does not feel bad. The success rate of the film is always eight percent. It’s just that with the advent of new media like OTD now comes some changes. Success and failure are seen as two sides of the same coin. And I’m not a fan of extravagance. God also gave me a family that would accept it. Much happier than that.