Ratheena PT on ‘Puzhu’: ‘A movie to be experienced and not explained’

The debutant director talks about bringing together Mammootty and Parvathy for the first time

When Ratheena PT met Mammootty as a starstruck fan, little did she think she would be directing him in her debut film, Puzhu, which brings together Mammootty and Parvathy Thiruvothu for the first time. The star, however, encouraged Ratheena to follow her passion by working in cinema. Ratheena says she was not just content with making her directorial debut but somehow hoped it would star Mammootty.

Later, the filmmaker met Mammootty with a one-line story that the latter thought had potential. He put Ratheena in touch with Unda’s scenarist Harshad to work on the screenplay since Ratheena felt she might find it difficult to write with a toddler to look after. Harshad came up with a road movie, but the big-budget film did not take off due to the pandemic The trio thought of a plan B.

“That is when Harshad ikka (elder brother) suggested the story of Puzhu. I thought it was one of the most moving stories I had heard. When I sent it to Mammootty, he said he liked it too. We were back on track. That was how Puzhu evolved.”

Harshad took Sharafudheen and Suhas onboard to write the screenplay. “We rented a flat in Kozhikode and got down to work. At every stage, we kept the star in the loop,” says Ratheena.

She says while writing the screenplay, they also kept discussing the cast. That is when Parvathy’s name came up. “As soon as Harshad ikka called her and told her the one-line story, she found it intriguing and agreed to listen to the story. We also told Mammooka who responded with a ‘thumbs up’ sign. Parvathy was all the more enthused when she heard that I was directing Puzhu,” says Ratheena, who had previously worked as the executive producer for Parvathy’s Uyare.

According to Ratheena, Puzhu is more about “the world of a character and how certain incidents shape his perspective of people and the world. Moreover, the protagonist’s name is not revealed in the initial scenes.” The director points out how many of us are referred to by many names and terms of endearment by various people. Ratheena points out how each of our lives also has aspects of drama, romance, tragedy and mystery.

“While the film is about one person’s life, it also dwells upon the people whose lives are connected with his. Isn’t that how our lives are?”