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Unni Mukundan in Jai Ganesha | Photo credit: Special Arrangements
when Unni Mukundan Calls Jai Ganesh ‘Eku Ratna’, his best film yet, he doesn’t say that lightly. “You don’t often get films that change you as a person. This film transformed me personally and professionally,” says the actor over the phone. Jai GaneshDirected by Ranjith Shankar, the film hit the theaters today.
An essay by Ganesh Gangadharan, the protagonist in a wheelchair, opened Unni’s eyes and said, “Disabled people lead the way in cities designed for the disabled. Somehow we don’t ‘see’ the disabled among us. It’s not an accidental film. It changed me as a man.” The thriller gave him a new outlook on life. “Those of us who don’t deal with these physical challenges They complain about the slightest thing that doesn’t go our way. And then we cripple people who fight for basic things.
For that he did not want to present a ‘disabled hero’ and Ranjit Shankar He promised that it would not happen. “The representation gives the audience, especially the disabled, goosebumps. It was a character for me, but think from the perspective of the reality of someone who has to spend his entire life in a wheelchair. Ganesh is a hero, a man with agency over his narrative who doesn’t seek sympathy. “And don’t we all like heroes? This film aims to garner sympathy. Not to have but to show that they too are heroes.
It’s been a year and a half since his biggest hit, Mallikapuram, was released. Its unprecedented success partly opened the eyes of audiences to ‘family-friendly films’. “Mallikapuram It had the support of a family audience of the kind who like child-friendly films. And when Ranjith came to me with this story, I loved it! It is confident that it will click with its core audience.
Unni’s next projects
He is part of a handful of projects that are in various stages of preparation. Notable among them Set up babyTamil movie KarudanVetrimaran screenplay and directed by Durai Senthil Kumar, and Marco.
In fact, he liked it so much that he came on board as a producer. Produced by Ranjith Shankar’s Dreams N Beyond and Unni Mukundan Films. Unni is also the distributor of the film. He became so close to the project that, while editing the film, he felt that ‘a part of my life’ had been cut.
“We rewrote the draft (script) 28 or 29 times until we achieved its current form. It gives you an idea of how motivated I must have been if I had read all those times. I want to understand the character dynamic. Interactions with Ranjith made me appreciate him as a writer,” he adds.
One of the reasons for choosing Ranjith was, “I looked the part, because my upper body strength – my shoulders and my arms, to look the part of someone who uses a wheelchair and has to constantly lift in and out of it and is dependent on their upper body for any kind of movement.
Ironically, he was chosen for the one thing he was known for – his physique. When he made his debut in the 2010s, he was defined for a long time as one of the handful of Malayalam actors who maintained his physique.
Operating a wheelchair was not physically challenging, but awareness of the difficulties faced by disabled people took a toll. The physical and mental challenges of writing a character are distinguished. “I am a physically active person, but after 10 days in a wheelchair, with no physical activity, I gained five kilograms. It (disability) takes its toll in many other ways.
A scene from the film Image Credit: Exclusive Arrangement
Jai Ganesh Hit the theaters with two huge, anticipated films – Vineeth Srinivasan’s Varshangalkku Sesham and Jitu Madhavan’s Fahadh Faasil-starrer Awesome. Unni was not fazed. He is confident that the film will get its share of audience, especially the family audience which is his strongest fan post Mallikapuram. The film is about two children who go to Sabarimala, Unni mistakes civil police officer Ayyappadas for Ayyappan.
He understands the expectations on the film, as it is his first theatrical release Mallikapuram. “That’s Good Friday!” He says referring to the film’s success. Moreover, it was his first massive hit that catapulted him into the hearts of audiences and ringing the cash registers. The film also earned him flak from some quarters, which he says hit him hard.
Unni continued, “Why is no one talking 10 KL? A film set in Malappuram, in which I essayed the character Ahmed. No one wants to discuss that film. Even after a year and a half, I am still waiting for that one person to say what offended people in Malikapur. What was the scene or conversation that caused the reaction…?”
Jai Ganesh is buzzing in theatres.
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