Newbie director says Fahadh Faasil 'picked him' for Athiran

Sai Pallavi and Fahadh Faasil in a scene from Athiran that's out in UAE theatres

Director Vivek Thomas Varghese, who makes his directorial debut with the latest Malayalam flick Athiran, feels he was handed a star-studded star cast that first-time movie makers can only dream of. In an interview with City Times ahead of the movie's release (it is currently playing in UAE theatres), he also clarified that the Fahadh Faasil-Sai Pallavi starrer is not based on the Martin Scorsese hit Shutter Island as is widely reported.
After spending several years in the ad world, Varghese said he has realised his long-term dreams by directing the psychological horror and thriller movie starring Fahadh Faasil, Sai Pallavi, Prakash Raj, Atul Kulkarni, Renji Panicker, Lena and others.
Athiran is the story of a psychiatrist who makes a startling discovery when he investigates an autistic patient's past in an asylum.
Thomas said the plot was scripted from a real-life inspiration. "The story idea came up after I went to a Kalari school in Tripunithura, Kerala, where autistic students were performing with the same prowess as the school's other students. I was really surprised by their performance."
He added, "This incident, combined with the inspiration from a short story by Edgar Allen Poe, inspired me to pursue this story. I approached Fahadh (Faasil) with the story, though I did not know him before Athiran. I discussed it with him, he liked it and things picked up from there."

Star-studded cast
Thomas later got the movie's female protagonist Sai Pallavi on board and with immense support from Faasil, he was able to take the movie forward. Speaking about the shooting experience and working with the stars of the movie, Thomas said it took them 55 days to shoot the entire movie. "The acting was a little more challenging for Sai Pallavi as her character acted in a particular manner and she had to do a lot of research. She has done extremely well," he added.

The first-time director also praised Fahadh Faasil's ability to make his mark in most characters he portrays. "He puts in an added layer that is very interesting to see. This whole experience was new to me. We had Atul Kulkarni, a National Award winner and Prakash Raj. The pressure was really high; however, the stars were prepared and knew I was going to be making mistakes," reminisced Mathew.
'Fahad picked me'
Speaking about why he chose to pick Fahadh Faasil for the movie, Thomas said, "I didn't pick him, he picked me. He saw something he considered would really work. Furthermore, the production crew was from all over the country, and when Faasil saw the first-cut, he absolutely loved it."
The young director is very excited about the reception the movie has had in Kerala and is looking forward to more exciting projects.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• South Stars