Interview | Filmmaker Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval on his new film, the art of direction and his style of filmmaking

Filmmaker Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval on his new film, the art of direction and his style of filmmaking

Suresh and Sumalatha are back. After romancing viewers with their courtship in Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval’s blockbuster Nna Thaan Case Kodu, the lovebirds are back with their own story in Sureshinteyum Sumalathayudeyum Hridayahariyaya Pranayakatha (SSHP, The Heartwarming Love Story of Suresh and Sumalatha). Actors Rajesh Madhavan and Chithra S Nair reprise the characters they essayed endearingly in Nna Thaan….

Excerpts from an interview with the director and scenarist who made his debut in 2019 with Android Kunjappan Version 5.25.

The story of Suresh and Sumalatha are spinoffs from the blockbuster Nna Thaan…

The characters deserved a story. They were inspired by two people I know. In Nna Thaan…, they appear as witnesses but I felt they had an interesting back story that would be ideal for a film.  Since Suresh and Sumalatha were welcomed by viewers, Rajesh and I felt their story would click as a movie.

And the long title…

This is a movie about two popular characters from a previous film. I wanted viewers to get a gist of the story from the title itself. It is a heartwarming story about the romance of Suresh and Sumalatha and that is exactly what the title says. Moroever, we have spent quite a bit on the film (laughs). Hence, we thought we would go with a long title. Quite some time, since we have had such a long one for a film!  

The characters have the feel of caricatures. Was that the creativity of an art director-turned-director’s idea?