Aashiq Abu on ‘Neelavelicham’, the remake of ‘Bhargavi Nilayam’, starring Rima Kallingal, Tovino Thomas and Roshan Mathew

Aashiq Abu on ‘Neelavelicham’, the remake of ‘Bhargavi Nilayam’, starring Rima Kallingal, Tovino Thomas and Roshan Mathew

A palatial but desolate house bathed in moonlight and surrounded by trees was a poster that announced the remake of the classic Bhargavi Nilayam (1964).

Aashiq Abu knew what he was taking on when he decided to remake Bhargavi Nilayam. The film, the scenes, the dialogues, the characters and, especially, the soulful songs have stood the test of time and have a special place in the hearts of Malayalam filmgoers. Yet, he decided to go ahead with Neelavelicham, the original title of Bhargavi Nilayam. Incidentally, it is the only screenplay written by beloved Malayalam writer, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer.

Bhargavi Nilayam, considered the first horror-thriller in Malayalam cinema, was a blockbuster when it was released on November 22, 1964.

Says Aashiq, “Into the cinematic universe of that time with its social dramas, romance and simple humour, Basheer’s contribution was a horror-romantic-thriller with seven songs. I don’t think even today such a multiple genre-blending script exists. As a filmmaker, I find this kind of genre-blending exciting!”

Aashiq says there were several reasons for taking on “this huge responsibility” of remaking a classic. “In my student days, in small libraries near my home, which had about 300 books or so, I had read the works of leading Malayalam writers such as SK Pottekkat, Radhakrishnan and Basheer among others. I had read the short story ‘Neelavelicham’. It was a story that stayed in my mind. I had no idea it was the story of Bhargavi Nilayam.”

Later, while Aashiq was working as an assistant director, there were reports of a remake of Bhargavi Nilayam with Mohanlal and Mammootty, which was supposed to be helmed by stalwarts such as litterateur MT Vasudevan Nair and the late John Paul. However, those reports were followed by silence. It was around that time that Aashiq watched Bhargavi Nilayam.

The story of an author coming to live in a haunted house, his friendship with a ghost and his efforts to narrate the story of an ill-fated romance mesmerised Aashiq. It was then that he realised that the story was based on ‘Neelavelicham’, the short story that he had read years ago. Years later, he happened to read the 16th edition of the screenplay of Bhargavi Nilayam, published by DC Books.