‘Journalism background led me towards dark themes’: Ratheesh Reghunandan

Two years after his noteworthy debut, Ratheesh is gearing up for the release of his sophomore directorial, Thankamani, in a larger canvas. Starring Dileep in the lead, the film is based on real-life incidents which occurred in the Idukki village of Thankamani in 1986. It supposedly revolves around the infamous riots, which erupted after a dispute between the villagers and a private bus owner. It is alleged that the villagers were subject to severe police brutality.

Unlike the 1987-film, Itha Samayamayi, based on the same incident, Ratheesh states that Thankamani does not delve into the political aspects of it, which rocked the state back then. “Unlike other known police atrocities that we’ve known or heard before, this incident has snowballed into many aspects over the years including political, which even took down the incumbent government; all of which cannot be encapsulated into a single film. What I’ve chosen to tell, as per my creative prerogative as a filmmaker, is the core of this incident and how it caused deep-rooted trauma among the villagers.”

According to the filmmaker, Thankamani is a family drama with an emotional core and adequate amount of action as well. Ratheesh gets unambiguously vocal when it comes to owning up to his responsibilities of helming a star-driven film. “It was a huge learning process, but at the same time the stakes were higher because of the budget involved,” says the filmmaker as he adds about how Dileep trusted his vision after hearing the first story narration itself. “The paraphernalia of the film itself gets escalated when such a star is on board. He offered me dates immediately after hearing the base idea. He read the script only one day before the shoot. Also, his suggestions from his understanding, both as a seasoned actor and a former assistant director, has been instrumental in making this film as the I envisioned it.”

The one common name associated with Ratheesh’s both films is cinematographer Manoj Pillai. “When I was looking for a cinematographer for Udal, I wasn’t really sure if someone established would be interested in doing a film which is set majorly inside a house. That’s when a friend introduced me to Manoj Pillai, who had just finished Mamangam. He instantly liked the story and we soon developed a rapport, which later turned into a strong bond. Despite his vast experience, he’s always open to suggestions, which has also helped cover up my inexperience to a great extent.”

Going forward, Ratheesh has committed a Tamil film for Super Good Films, the banner backing Thankamani, and another Malayalam film for Sree Gokulam Movies, who produced Udal. Apart from that, he’s also in discussions to resume his earlier-announced Sathyan biopic, which got delayed by the pandemic. Jayasurya will be playing the legendary actor in the film, which is to be produced by Vijay Babu.