The stand-up comic promises lot of fun in ‘Panchavarnathatha’

Ramesh Pisharody is ready to take viewers on a laughter ride. Not with his mimicry or stand-up acts, but with a movie. Joining him are some of the top actors in Mollywood and a lot of birds and animals. The ace stand-up comic, mimicry artiste, and actor is bringing his directorial debut, Panchavarnathatha, to theatres this festival season.

The trailer indicate that the film is likely to be a full-on entertainer. “People expect comedy from me and I won’t disappoint. It is a fun-filled family drama meant for the vacation crowd and should appeal to people of all ages. My four-year-old daughter to my 75-year-old father can enjoy the movie. There is no violence, no stunts...,” says Ramesh. And if you are looking out for any kind of nervousness of a first-time director in him, he shoots it down, saying, “I am excited, but no tension whatsoever.”

Ramesh Pisharody | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

As the title suggests it is about a bird, a macaw. But then it is not just about her, there are over 160 animals starring in the movie — dogs, parrots, camel, donkeys.... The story revolves around a character played by Jayaram, a pet shop owner. However, he has no name in the film. Kunchacko Boban plays Kalesh, a politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly. “One deals with animals and the other with people. What happens when they get together form the crux of the movie,” says Ramesh, who has written the story, script and dialogues with his friend, Hari P. Nair.

Jayaram went for a total makeover for the movie — pot-bellied with tonsured head and prosthetic make-up. “I am an animal lover and I needed somebody with a soft spot for animals. Jayaram chettan is one among them. His character lives among animals and I was confident that he would pull it off, which he eventually did.”

Direction was not in the scheme of things for Ramesh since the film was meant to be directed by Nadirshah. “But when Nadhirshah asked me why I could not direct it myself, I thought of giving it a try. In fact, a few years ago Manianpillai Raju chettan had suggested that I should direct a movie. Then I told him that cinema is a huge space and it was too early for me to enter it. I wanted to reap the rewards from mimicry before doing a film! So when I was finally ready, I called him and he agreed to produce it,” Ramesh says.

In the hot seat

With no previous experience behind the camera, how comfortable was he in the new role? “Having directed a lot of shows, both on stage and television, and with my work as an actor, I had a basic idea about the whole process,” he says. So was he was the captain of the ship? “You can say so. But then when you have some excellent travellers on board, nothing can go wrong. Things were always under control!”

Ramesh Pisharody with Kunchacko Boban on the sets of Panchavarnathatha | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

M. Jayachandran and Nadhirshah are the composers, Ousepachan is the director of background score. The singers are K.J. Yesudas, M.G. Sreekumar, Shankar Mahadevan, Haricharan and Jyotsna. Anusree, Mallika Sukumaran, Salim Kumar, Dharmajan, Joju George and Asokan are in the cast in addition to 30 newcomers. Pradeep Nair cranks the camera.

Incidentally, he has a high opinion about the birds and animals in the film. Ramesh admits that working with the animals had its challenges, with several guidelines in place for the use of animals in films. “Every aspect was taken care of, right from how they were housed to their food. And they gave no trouble from their part.” So who among the cast gave him a tough time? “Dharmajan!” pat comes the reply.