Shahi Kabir: Ila Veezha Poonchira is different from Joseph and Nayattu

Shahi Kabir is fulfilling an ambition that he has had since his first writing stint with Joju George-starrer Joseph. The state award-winning writer and cop is making his directorial debut with Ila Veezha Poonchira, which features Soubin, Sudhy Koppa and Jude Anthany Joseph. The film is scripted by his colleagues in the Kerala Police, Nidhish G and Shaji Maarad.Speaking about the thriller, Shahi says, “It is not about policing, and it is different from both Joseph and Nayattu. This is a personal film; it does not have any political undertones.” Ila Veezha Poonchira is a tourist spot at about 3,500 ft in Thodupuzha. But as far as the film is concerned, the setting is important because there is a police wireless station - called a repeater station - that receives the wireless communication of the whole of Kottayam district. “If there is a problem here, the entire network gets affected. The story is about the policemen working here,” he says. Interestingly, Shahi - who is now on a five-year leave from the police service - and both writers worked at this station. “So I felt connected to the story. And while I was initially supposed to direct Joseph and then, Nayattu, I didn’t quite feel up to it. But this happens in a particular space and I felt that I could handle it. It is a story that excited me,” he says. As a policeman, can he explain how authentic the cop thrillers that we see are? “I took several cinematic liberties with Joseph, but hardly any with Nayattu. The former is not a story that hurts the service, but in the latter, the working of the police system is portrayed in some detail and when I wrote it, I did feel some nervousness, but everyone from top IPS officers to the lowest ranked policeman gave me positive feedback. The condition in which the system works was something that everyone could relate to. The police station is a place that is filled with negative issues, and as humans, these influence our mental health, and it causes depression and anxiety. That is a reality,” says Shahi, adding he is conscious of making an effort to change the stereotypes of policemen in Kerala cinema. His own favourite police film is Dileesh Pothen-directorial Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, even more than Nayattu, he says.