Malayalam film ‘Rani’, releasing on September 21, is an investigative thriller, says its director Shankar Ramakrishnan

malayalam filmmaker shankar ramakrishnan says that his new movie rani is an investigative thriller

The murder of a political heavyweight unleashes an investigation that explores several facets of the man, as seen through the people close to him. His wife, sister, mistress, confidante and others close to him peel the layers of the man called Dharmarajan, alias Selvan, a local legislator. Rani, actor-director-scenarist Shankar Ramakrishnan’s sophomore film, zooms into the investigation of the murder that lays bare the life of the man and the politician.

“Rani is an investigative thriller that unfolds the story of Dharmarajan, enacted by Guru Somasundaram, a wily and hard politician, with a finger in many pies in the region. The investigation headed by Raju chettan’s [Maniyanpillai Raju] character, Deputy Superintendent Raghu, is assisted by circle inspector Soman, essayed by Krishnan Balakrishnan,” says Shankar.

He adds that women are the real stars in the narrative. “His wife, his sibling, his sultry concubine and keeper of secrets, an iron-willed head nurse, a docile domestic worker and an idealist-activist teacher drive the story forward.”

Written and directed by Shankar, Rani has an interesting multi-star cast that brings together actors such as Maniyanpillai Raju, Urvashi, Guru Somasundaram, Indrans, Maala Parvathy, Anumol, Krishnan Balakrishnan, Honey Rose, Ashwin Gopinath and Aswath Lal among others. Urvashi is Sheela, Dharmarajan’s sister and an author; Maala Parvathy appears as Maheshwari, the politician’s  concubine; Anumol enacts Sona, the rich daughter of a wealthy liquor contractor. Niyathi Kadambi makes her debut in Malayalam cinema through this film.

Niyathi plays Rani, a domestic worker who works in several houses. Helpless and economically insecure, she becomes an easy suspect in the murder. “But then the people in the three houses where she works turn out to be the surprise as they rally around to support her. I believe there is a Rani in every woman; a strength that comes to the fore when she is pushed to the corner. She is Nature herself, the irrepressible force of nature that cannot be vanquished. This film celebrates her strength,” says Shankar.

The writer elaborates that he has always been intrigued by domestic workers who work in several houses. Their employers’ information about them is sketchy. Usually they do not have much information about their lives, families and addresses. “But these workers are privy to a lot of information about the homes they work in. They know the routine in the house and are often aware of family secrets, conversations and minute details about their employers. It is a dichotomy that has intrigued me.”

He maintains that all the characters in the film, have stories to back them up and the two-hour narrative has enough space for those stories.