Manju Warrier speaks a new language in Kayattam

Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s filmmaking has always stood out for its experimental nature and eye-opening perspectives, so it’s probably not surprising that even when his next film has one of the Malayalam industry’s best-loved commercial stars, this style stays firmly in place.

Kayattam

, a Manju Warrier-starrer which was shot in the snowy Himalayan peaks, literally has a new vocabulary.


The film, a musical fantasy, is about a group of people coming together and going on a trek. The language that Sanal has devised is for one set of people in the group. “Thematically, the story required for one bunch to speak a particular language, so we made a language and called it Ahr Samsar. Ahr translates to Kayattam (climb). It is a sort of phonetic language and most of the words are devised in this manner,” says Sanal.

How the language was created seems to reflect Sanal’s filmmaking style. “My films are not strictly scripted. They are based on a concept, which is developed during the shoot by everyone, including the cast and crew. Kayattam has 10 songs, marking each level of the climb, which are in Ahr Samsar. In fact, the language was devised for the songs and it has turned out nicely. Manju Warrier speaks the language in a couple to places to show that she knows the language and even sings one of the songs,” he says.

Speaking about Manju Warrier, he says she is an artiste who has always excited him. “My admiration for her only increased during the shoot, because not only did we stay in tents without amenities and phone networks, but we were also exposed to risky conditions and she took it all on as one among us.”

While the film will have subtitles for the language, Sanal says the movie can be appreciated even without this. “The audience can appreciate the film for its Malayalam dialogues, but understanding what is conveyed through Ahr Samsar via the subtitles will add another dimension to the story,” he says.