Jeethu Joseph: ‘Mohanlal’s fans are used to larger-than-life characters of the actor’

Jeethu Joseph (left), the Malayalam director of the forthcoming Mohanlal-starrer Neru.

This is Jeethu Joseph’s 17th film in his more-than-a-decade-long career. He has done comedy dramas, and various sub-genres of thrillers, yet nary a single interview is passed without a mention of his unarguably most-celebrated film to date — Drishyam (1 and 2). The first Malayalam film to collect 50 crores at the BO, which was later remade in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Sinhalese and Chinese. The most popular franchise in Indian cinema in the last decade! After Drishyam, (and Tamil remake Papanasam) he made 7 films, but none could live up to the overwhelming critical or commercial success of Drishyam. It was repeated only when he made the sequel, Drishyam 2, thereby proving that the audience will never allow Jeethu to leave Drishyam behind. Last year he came up with two mystery thrillers (12th Man and Kooman). If 12th Man, headlining Mohanlal was a direct OTT release, Kooman worked fairly well at the box office. This year, he is collaborating with Mohanlal for a courtroom drama in Neru.

A still from the forthcoming Mohanlal-starrer Malayalam film 'Neru'.

The trailer has already piqued the public interest, especially ardent Mohanlal fans who feel vindicated to finally see their favourite actor in form after a brief lull. Edited excerpts from an interview:

This is your first full-length courtroom drama.

In Neru, 70 to 80 per cent of the events are unraveling in court, unlike some of my earlier investigative thrillers that had a few portions in court. In Neru, crime happens in the first 15 minutes and the rest are all legal proceedings. However, this is an emotional courtroom drama. The victim, culprit, prosecution, defence, and all such paraphernalia are depicted.

Can you take us through your writing process with Shanthi, who is also a lawyer?

I met my co-writer Shanthi who is also a lawyer during the making of Ram, in which she acted. Later, she worked with me in Drishyam 2. I sent her a few scenes in Drishyam 2 and asked her to give it a technical tweak. That’s when I realised that she could write a script. Later I asked her if she could help me co-write a script. The crime is familiar but there is a twist in it. I would say Santhi is the writer, and I added the cinematic sensibilities.

Perhaps, one advantage of a legal drama is that there are always fresh and compelling cases to use for inspiration.

Well, this is a crime we hear daily. I think this has happened in our society. I got the idea from something I read earlier.

Courtroom dramas have evolved over the years. It has become more realistic, and less dramatic. What is the meter you have picked?

Some of the most-feted courtroom dramas are dramatised. And, of course, cinema requires that drama. I intended to balance the drama and the procedural tone. If you keep it too realistic, it might stretch a bit. I don’t think many people have seen the real court. So, the idea was to give them that experience. I have incorporated all the technicalities one should follow in court.

What was the biggest challenge while making this genre?

I asked Shanti to write down in order as to how the legal procedures would unfold for such a case. But once she wrote it, I realised that it would be ideal for a series but there are different sets of challenges when you package it for a film. Also, there is a risk of monotony that can creep into the narrative. So the challenge was to keep it engaging and play to the gallery a bit without taking away the authenticity.

This is your fifth film (including the unreleased Ram) with Mohanlal. What surprises you about him? Do you have to instruct him or brief him?

I think his fans are used to larger-than-life characters of the actor. Maybe that’s why the trailer excited them. Even in Drishyam, he is a razor-sharp intelligent mind. But in Neru he is an ordinary person, like you would see in Sanmanasullavarkku Samadham. As for the surprise, he gives more than what’s expected of him. When he acts you feel like he is not doing anything but when you see it on screen there is magic. I don’t know what happens. Now, of course, I have a better judgement of his acting. He just needs small briefings.

Recently, director Ranjith said Mohanlal is uncomfortable to associate with new people, he prefers to be with people he is familiar with. Was it difficult to sort of break the ice in the beginning? How has your relationship evolved?

His wife was my cousin’s family friend. So, you can say that he was familiar with me. On the first day of Drishyam, I was tense to be working with such a big star, but he was the one who broke the ice. Probably that is his way of making himself comfortable.

You have mostly done thrillers (suspense, murder, action) and occasionally comedy dramas. But you seem to have a natural flair for thrillers.

Possibly. Right from childhood I was a fan of Agatha Christie and James Hadley Chase novels. When you watch a film, you have this curiosity irrespective of the genre. But that impact is double in thrillers. Perhaps, that’s what pulls me. Also, I wanted to be a cop when I was a kid. Maybe that all added up. Also, I think at some corner of the brain we all have criminal affinities. Good and evil exist in all of us. I won’t work on my evil side because of my upbringing. But if I had a difficult childhood or was uneducated I would have, perhaps, leaned towards it.

What sort of thrillers do you prefer to watch?

I have mostly binged on Hollywood thrillers. It was Mohanlal who initiated me into the James Bond series. Having said that, I can’t digest these larger-than-life narratives. In Hollywood, you had a Marvel series, and it is easier to buy since the characters are all imaginary. But here we have normal characters who do over-the-top stunts. I am not able to process such films. I liked Minnal Murali as his arc was convincing. So, I prefer realistic action thrillers. Along Came a Spider and Silence of the Lambs are personal favourites. But now even Hollywood is lacking in mystery films. My issue with web-series of that genre is that I desperately need to get to the bottom of it. I remember watching all four seasons of 24 action-drama web-series in a day.

Do you watch your films?

Not at all. I watch it several times before it hits the screens — the first edit, background score, first copy, etc. That’s why when people say that they had goosebumps while watching Georgekutty walking out of the police station in the climax of Drishyam I am not able to get it.

Your heroes are mostly flawed and ordinary men caught in extraordinary circumstances. There are no larger-than-life twists there. Is there a hero who is closest to you?

Perhaps, there are characters I have picked from my family. I was inspired by my father when I sketched Sai Kumar (My Boss) and Joseph (Life of Josutty). He belonged to an affluent family and was a politician. But he was also a farmer at heart. Like Saikumar’s character, he would instruct me to attend all the events which I refused. The simplistic bit was added to Joseph’s character. I would rather my remnants are not there in my characters. I am not a nice man to know. (Laughs)

‘What SS Rajamouli said about my script (Drishyam) made my day! When he specifically praised my screenplay, that felt good.’

Poster of the Malayalam film Neru.

Do you see any particular trends in Malayalam cinema now?

I think it is better if there is no such trend. Once there was a trend of comedy films and such films were surplus. Then came a phase when heroes would spout bombastic dialogues and later came realistic films. Such trends stifle filmmakers. I think we are all equipped to do certain kinds of cinema and should be allowed to do that. Audiences won't feel bored if there is a mix of genres available for them.

Do you read the reviews of your films?

Not at all. Maybe a few genuine ones. But I do read the comments that come under my films on social media. For instance, I was reading the comments under the trailer as I was worried about their expectations.

Now there is an overemphasis on violence in our films. Superstars are also aligning with that trend. How do you see it?

It seems to be working for now because there is an audience. But yes, it disturbs me and has never worked for me. I think this trend started post-COVID. Maybe, the influence of Korean films? Take John Wick, for instance, so many people are killed for no reason.

What part of filmmaking do you enjoy the most?

Shooting. For me, writing is emotionally taxing, and I can even cause turbulence in my family because of my mood swings. Once the script is over 60-70 per cent of my troubles are over. Except for the physical exertion, shooting for me is relaxing. I love the music-mixing process as well.

Is there a film’s failure that broke your heart?

Life of Josutty. More than the box-office results, I was hurt by the reactions. Maybe post-Drishyam, such a theme wasn’t what was expected of me. A lot of women told me that they were uncomfortable with some of the dialogues in the film. That’s when I realised that I had a dedicated family audience as well. But even now a lot of NRIs tell me how relatable that film is. I am also told that Oozham’s non-linear narrative failed to emotionally connect with the audience.

When you sit down to write, are you always stressed about writing for the audience?

Once I get a subject that interests me, then the plan of a commercial filmmaker will always be to package it in a way that attracts the audience. If it is not a commercial film, I will have more flexibility as a creator. I just need to please myself. But here, sometimes I need to do things that I might not like.

Finally, what’s the nicest thing that you have heard about Drishyam?

What SS Rajamouli said about my script. That made my day! When he specifically praised my screenplay, that felt good. I don’t cater to the general perception that I have made something brilliant. I believe in God, so when I sit down to write, I get good ideas. In Neru, there was a moment after the scripting and theme music when an idea came to me. It’s just a 10-second thing but the impact seemed to have done wonders (or so I have been told by those who have seen it) for the film. It’s all god’s blessings.