We let ‘Joji’s’ plot grow organically: Dileesh Pothan

The director talks about the making of Fahadh Faasil's ;atest, how OTT platforms offered him space, and the inspiration from Shakespeare’s 'Macbeth'

Dileesh Pothan is one of contemporary Malayalam cinema’s finest storytellers. If one were to list the best films of the past decade, not just in terms of box office figures, Maheshinte Prathikaram (2016) and Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017) would figure among the top 10. Pothan dons director hat yet again with Joji, which released today on Amazon Prime. A Dileesh Pothan film inevitably rides expectations, and Joji is no different. Scripted by Syam Pushkaran, starring Fahadh Faasil in a lead role, it has met rave reviews. Intended as a ‘creative output’ during the pandemic, it kept the spirit of his team high, says Pothan. He talks about how Joji came to be, Shakespeare’s Macbeth and making films for a different audience. Excerpts from an interview