Producers should also be appreciated for what Malayalam cinema is today: Rahul Riji Nair

After directing Saiju Kurup and Suresh Krishna in his webseries Jai Mahendran, filmmaker Rahul Riji Nair is returning with the same cast in Flask, a “work relationship drama”. Excerpts from an interview:


A 'slice of life' film
Rahul says the film is about the tussles between the police officer who does not want to work alongside a very hierarchical judge. “It's a slice-of-life story,” says the director. “The film shows the journey of how their work equations evolve." Sharing his excitement about working with the cast, he notes, “After the success of Jai Mahendran, we wanted to work together as a team again. I don’t think we have seen Suresh ettan in such a role before. It was very exciting for me as a filmmaker to get the best out of both of them.”

OTT platforms want popular content
Ask Rahul if OTT is providing a platform for experimental filmmakers and he says, “OTT is not doing anything to push filmmaking boundaries. The movies that we see are very mainstream in terms of content, presentation, etc. They prefer films that work theatrically. They are paying you because they want that content to work on that platform.”

He explains that OTT did try to do something different in the early days. “In hindsight, OTTs did give that feeling (of being a space for experimental projects), but they didn't follow through,” he says, adding, “They want popular content that works with everyone. They are not looking to raise filmmaking standards or anything. Why is it that most of the OTT shows we watch now are crime thrillers? Their decisions are logical and data-driven."

Producers don't get enough credit
A producer himself, Rahul feels that producers do not get the credit that directors or actors do. “The credit for experimental works belongs to filmmakers, individual producers or production houses. Filmmaking is a capital-intensive business. Many worthy ideas end up materialising as films only because producers back them. I don’t know how much that fact is appreciated. Producers should also be appreciated for what Malayalam cinema is today. A producer is willing to back new ideas because they are driven by the passion for the medium. Why is producer Ranjith’s name inseparable from Thudarum? It’s because he believed in the film and didn’t give up despite the hurdles he faced ,” he says.

Recalling a recent incident, he says, “When I went to collect an award for my OTT series in Mumbai, everyone there had very good things to say about Malayalam cinema. The films they named were not backed by any platform in the beginning. They were made thanks to the instinct of a producer who thought, ‘OK, let me put my money into this’.”