Film producer Supriya Menon frankly admits to privilege, that being actor Prithviraj’s wife opened a few doors for her. But after that, she says, it is down to her and how she makes her way around the old boy’s club that the Malayalam film industry tends to be. As Prithviraj Productions’, the couple’s production company, wraps up 2019 with its second production Driving Licence, which released on Friday, it seems she has found her footing.
She is vocal about what constitutes a good film. “The script is paramount — content is queen.”
The company’s first film was the “genre-bender”, sci-fi meets horror-thriller 9 (Nine) released earlier this year , scripted and directed by Jenuse Mohamed. It wasn’t an easy film - the response to it was mixed, with a section of the audience liking it. The film, she agrees, may have been ahead of its times. She stands by it, “We wanted to make a film that would be remembered and, we believed, that it would bring something new to regional films. It may or may not work, but it pushed the boundaries of cinema.”
Driving Licence has been scripted by Sachy, who directed the actor in Anarkali (2015), and directed by Jean Paul Lal. Here too it was the script, which they liked.
“The process is simple, we go by the script. It doesn’t matter who the artiste is. When it comes to a good film, a glittering packaging doesn’t matter. Also it is not only about making money.” The couple works as a team when they zero in on a project. “I hear something interesting, I ask Prithvi to give it a listen. It has to excite you, like with any story should. I think of myself as a member of the audience, there is no fixed formula...one hopes that a film works,” she says over phone. With Prithviraj Productions, formed in 2018, they want to make the kind of cinema they believe in.
The journalist-turned-producer’s tryst with films began after her marriage, first as spouse and later as producer, since 2018. Although she went back to work, in Mumbai, immediately after their marriage, she says, “It was difficult, I wasn’t getting time to spend with my husband - with both of us in two different places, me having to travel for work. Prithvi’s work demands that he be here.” By 2016, when their daughter was older, Supriya decided it was time to step out but returning to her old job in Mumbai wasn’t feasible. It was around the time they decided to start making films.
Listening to her talk films, it is evident that Supriya is thoroughly enjoying her role in showbiz.
Being part of the industry, in any capacity, was never a part of her dreams or plans. That is until she met her husband. A self-confessed ‘news junkie’, she says she has grown to love cinema and enjoys the process that goes into making a film. A film may not have the instant gratification of being a journalist — of seeing one’s byline at the end of a report – but it is there. “When Driving Licence finally releases, it will be the fruition of one year’s hard work.”
The film, a ‘family entertainer’, is about a vehicle inspector Kuruvilla, essayed by Suraj Venjaramoodu, and a superstar, by Prithviraj, and their ego tussle.
2019 has been special for the family. Lucifer , Prithviraj’s directorial debut, released to a stupendous response and is one of the top grossing films of the year. She is a proud wife, “It is a lot to take in - producing two films, making a behemoth of a film...it is great seeing your partner excel.”
So how is it, being producer in a film that her husband is acting in?
“It is a challenge and it is easy. I have his experience to bank on. Financially, however, he doesn’t think like a producer he tends to think artistically like a filmmaker while I am counting money. I have to reign him in, telling him this is his company also,” she says indulgently.
Prithviraj is on a three month break, a part of what he refers to as “an exercise for one of the most ambitious projects of my life #Aadujeevitham .” It is a first for the actor who doesn’t remember not being involved with some form of filmmaking for this long a period. Supriya is excited, as is their daughter Alankrita, about having him at home for this long a duration, “We get to spend time together. I have known him since 2007, when we started dating, he has never taken time off like this. His work-life balance is askew. Now he has time to be at home.” Although he is at home, she says, he is preparing for Aadujeevitham .
Working in an industry which has very few women in positions of decision making, there is inevitably resistance. “The set up is very different. This is an old boys’ club where one has to carve out a path. I have earned the right to be in the room. I am learning the ropes and I have to make my way up. I am an aggressive, vociferous woman – you have to listen to me!” Finding her place in the “male heavy” industry, she agrees, will take time since she is only two films old but she is determined to make people sit up and listen to her.
