Decoding a scene | Floods and a cramped room - odds that 'Vijay Superum...' filmmaker beat

Director Jis Joy's latest movie 'Vijay Superum Pournami', starring Asif Ali and Aishwarya Lekshmi, is running successfully in theatres. It has received thumps up from movie buffs and critics for the simple yet amusing narration of the story. The film revolves around how two extremely different individuals get locked up inside a room and happen to influence each other later in their lives.

Script tweaked post disaster

An interesting matter about the movie is that it was shot just before and after the Kerala floods in August 2018. A scene depicting floods was included in the movie. Talking about it, the director said, "We needed one night sequence to finish the shoot and on that day when its shoot was planned it was raining heavily. It had a scene where actor Siddhique talks on phone on a terrace. But it started raining by 7 pm and we waited for the rain to end. It was past 8 and I asked him if I should call for a pack-up. 'No worries. The rain will end', he said. Even after 11, there seemed no stopping for the rain and finally Siddique himself suggested that we may shoot the very next evening. The scene was a crucial one - a prelude to climax. The next day too, the heavy rains continued and I called up Siddhique asking him what to do. He then consoled me saying it would be fine by evening and the rain would stop. By 6 in the evening, when I was planning to call him again, he called me saying, ''This is an unusual rain. Let's not think about shooting for next two days.' It was during August 14-15 that we took a break and we witnessed a 'new' Kerala post floods. We just had 4 days of shoot to finish the movie," recalled the director.

Joy referred to the floods in his script in order to refer to contemporary happenings in his film. This reference is in the climax of the film. Siddhique mentions how we overcame the flood disaster.

"What makes me more happy is that when I watched the film on the very first day of its release along with audience, I observed how they applauded at that particular scene. Probably, they could easily relate to the floods. I wrote the dialogue and made changes in the script right before the scene was shot. You will get to know it when you watch the movie," he told Onmanorama.

Shooting within limits

Another aspect about the movie is that the plot of the movie begins inside a closed room where two protagonists sit and talk to each other.

"There were about 10-14 different scenes involving that particular bedroom. So, the biggest challenge in taking that scene was not to repeat the shots. The images from scenes taken earlier shouldn't go into another, else it would put off the viewers. So we had to light up the whole room. Another challenge was to accommodate in the small room all equipment, technicians, including assistants and artists, and props. You will get know how well we have fared in this test as you watch the movie," Joy said.

Good reviews

Joy is satisfied with the way the film has come out. "Many big names from the industry told me that the making of this movie has improved when compared to my earlier works. All credits to art director Shiji Pattanam and cinematographer Renadive for bringing out such good frames. Rana never compromises with time and takes utmost care for perfection. As a result, the sets are beautifully captured and the artists look amazing," he noted.

"Cinema is about a totality. When a films works out it means every aspect in it clicked. I consider it as a blessing of the Almighty. I believe in a magical hand that gives us the grace to make a good creation. I had a strong belief that the efforts we had put into this film would bear fruit. I am immensely pleased to know that viewers have accepted the film," he concluded.