Director Vishnu G Raghav says he wanted to keep ‘Vaashi’ , starring Tovino Thomas and Keerthy Suresh in the lead, as real as possible

Vishnu insisted that Tovino and Keerthi should not prep for their roles as lawyers in Vaashi, a courtroom drama

Courtroom dramas are dime a dozen in cinema, Malayalam cinema is no exception. Several such films have been blockbusters in the past. What makes debutant director Vishnu G Raghav’s film Vaashi stand out is the subtle narration and picturisation of court scenes that have been skillfully woven into a tender relationship drama.

Starring Tovino Thomas (as Ebin Mathew) and Keerthy Suresh (as Madhavi Mohan) in the lead, Vaashi’s USP is the absence of melodrama, unnecessary twists and high decibel speeches, a welcome relief from such films in the past. Based on Janiz Chacko Simon’s story, the film features the lead as junior lawyers jostling to make a reputation for themselves. The fireworks at work and home begin when the two find themselves arguing a case against each other.

Vishnu says a friend narrated a one-line story that caught his attention. He discussed it threadbare with scenarists Bobby-Sanjay and director-editor Mahesh Naryanan before writing the script.

“In 2018, I had written the script of Vaashi and then took a break. I kept it aside to write another script for a film that was to have been made on a bigger canvas with locations set abroad. Its pre-production was supposed to have begun in April 2020 but then the first lockdown was announced. That forced us to postpone that film and I went back to the script of Vaashi,” says Vishnu.

Having found it dated, he reworked it several times before he was satisfied with the screenplay. He points out that his perspectives had changed and society’s too. In the meantime, Vishnu spoke to several lawyers to understand their work, arguments in court and how a court works. “I narrated the story to them and listened while they argued both sides of the case. I have used many of their arguments and points in the film. As a result, several lawyers called me to appreciate how realistic the courtroom scenes were,” says the young director.

Keerthy Suresh, a childhood friend, replied in the affirmative when she heard the story and then came in close friend Tovino. It is the first time Keerthy and Tovino are acting together and the crackling chemistry is a plus point of Vaashi.

Since the film hinges on a sensitive case relating to a breach of promise of marriage, Vishnu says he wanted to ensure that it was politically correct and in tune with the times.