Murali Gopy is tight-lipped about the storyline of Tiyaan , scripted by him. Trailers of the eagerly-awaited film show glimpses of a harsh, dry, reddish-brown terrain set somewhere between the hills and the plains of North India. Made on a generous budget of ₹18 crore, the multi-starrer Tiyaan has been popping up in the news all through the making of the film.
“ Tiyaan is a genre-bender that blurs time and space. It unfolds in the present but spans many time periods,” says Murali.
Choosing his words carefully, as is his wont, Murali says that Tiyaan ’s theme is rooted in India’s history, society culture, politics and philosophy. “India is an ancient land and the canvas of the film is woven by the many threads that make up the tapestry of India. Religions, languages, cultures and conquerors have left their imprints on the country and her people. There is a conversation between religions and beliefs that gives rise to sublime dialogues on different subjects. There are elements of mysticism, clairvoyance, politics, a miracle tradition, spiritualism and realism but it is a very Indian concept of realism, not at all like what the West labels as realism. There is a major difference in perception. But, above all, Tiyaan is a complete entertainer,” he says.
Directed by Jiyen Krishnakumar, with whom Murali last worked with in Kanchi , Tiyaan , according to its writer is a pan-Indian story that was shot in Ladakh, Leh, Manali, Ramoji Rao Film City and its outskirts.
Murali says though Kanchi was a damp squib at the BO, he was impressed by Krishankumar’s skills as a director. “ Tiyaan has a huge canvas and calls for a leader, a person with good inter-personal skills, leadership qualities and organisational abilities, even diplomacy... I knew that Krishnakumar would be the best person to helm a project like Tiyaan .”
The movie has Murali working with brothers Indrajith and Prithviraj. “I call Indrajith my company actor. All the films that I write have a special place for him. In fact, his character in the film Pattabhiraman is completely different from Vishnu in Ee Adutha Kalathu and ‘vattu Jayan’ in Left Right Left . We share a comfort space and so he knows exactly how to interpret my writing on screen,” says Murali. He adds that though he is working with Prithviraj for the first time, “both of them know where I come from and what my writing is like.”
Shine Tom Chacko, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Padmapriya, Ananya, Paris Laxmi and yesteryear Bollywood villain Ranjeet and Murali himself are some of the actors in Tiyaan . Murali’s scripts never cease to surprise viewers with their unexpected twists and unique characters who look so real. His many interests, reading and takes on past and contemporary events give his films an interesting perspective.
Since Murali also has a role in some of the films that he writes, how does he conceptualise characters during the writing process? Does he have a face in mind while fleshing out the characters?
“No, never,” emphasises Murali. “I write the script and go with the story. But I have extensive notes for each of the characters in my screenplays. I have elaborate details about their background, the way they move, talk, gesticulate, dress and behave. The casting comes later after the script evolves into a full-flegded story. Once, the casting has been done, I share the details extensively with the actors during long discussions. By the time the shooting begins, they have a clear idea about who they are enacting,” explains Murali.
So even if it is a role he is essaying on screen, that gets decided only during the casting. Moreover, as Murali points out, in his second innings in Mollywood, he has been extremely choosy about his characters and has acted in 17 movies only and that was not because there was any shortage of takers.
“I want to choose characters and stories that have nothing in common among them. Each of my roles has been very different, whether they be heroes or anti-heroes,” he points out.
Retro theme
Murali has just finished working on Arun Kumar Aravind’s Kaatu . Scripted by his childhood friend Ananthapadmanabhan, the late Padmarajan’s son, the story is an inspired take on two short stories of the inimitable Padmarajan, but the screenplay is an original one.
“It has a Padmarajan landscape of the late seventies and eighties and has a great story to narrate. There is a rustic raw ambience, a retro feel to the film,” affirms Murali.
At present, he is also working on another multi-starrer scripted by him, KammaraSambhavam , featuring Dileep and Siddarth in the lead. Siddarth is working in his first Malayalam film while Bobby Simha also has a significant role in the flick.
Once he is done with the work on the film, Murali says he will be listening to scripts even while he gets down to writing the script of Mohanlal-starrer Lucifer, which will mark Prithviraj’s debut as a director.
What’s in a name
“In documents pertaining to ownership of land, the name of the buyer is mentioned in full only once. The rest of the time he is referred to as ‘Tiyaan’, which means the above mentioned. The title of the film Tiyaan is a play on words. The ‘above’ can refer to the heavens, the skies or its literal meaning. It could also refer to the ownership of land…Once, you see the film, you will catch its full significance,” says Murali
