‘I have made the movie I wanted’

Set in North Kerala,Adaminte Makan Abu is the tale of an elderly perfume-seller’s dream to perform the Hajj along with his wife Aishumma. The couple’s only son has abandoned them,and they have to rely on their life’s savings to fund the pilgrimage to Mecca. With touching simplicity,Ahamed portrays how Abu goes about overcoming each hurdle,eventually coming to terms with the inevitable disappointment with grace. The film was selected as the Best Feature Film for the 58th National Film Awards this year. Salim Kumar,known for his comic turns in Malayalam cinema,won the Rajat Kamal award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Abu,the protagonist. The film also won in the cinematography and music direction categories. Now,in just over two months’ time,there is also the possibility of an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category,where it has been nominated alongside 62 other films.

The accolades mean a lot more to Ahamed,since the run-up to the film was far from smooth. For four years after completing his studies at the NSS College in Kannur’s Mattanur,he worked in the Kozhikode office of the long-defunct East-West Airlines. Movies were always on his mind,and while working,he enrolled in the Bachelor of Theatre Arts course at Calicut University,but later dropped out. However,post East-West Airlines,he began a 10-year stint in the film and television industry. Ahamed’s first assignment was as assistant to Malayalam scriptwriter TA Razak,from whom he learnt his trade. After working in five movies,he moved on to television. “I directed reality shows to raise money for my first movie,” says Ahamed. “I have always believed that it is best if you can produce your own movie,” he says.

The seeds of his maiden movie,though,were sown in his small cubicle at the East-West Airlines. There,sometime in 1999,his protagonist Abu first walked into his life. “I used to handle the Hajj passengers. Once I came across an elderly couple from Malappuram who were returning from Mecca after performing the Umrah. I talked to them,and found out they had done so because they could not afford to perform the Hajj,” says Ahamed. Umrah,which can be performed any time during the year,is of a shorter duration,and only includes a visit to Mecca,unlike the more elaborate Hajj.

The film was planned for Rs 70 lakh,but costs escalated to Rs 1 crore,and Ahamed,who also produced the movie,had to seek financial help from a friend to see him through. Anecdotes of the way Adaminte Makan Abu’s costs were kept to a minimum are aplenty — actor Salim Kumar gave up his remuneration,taking away,instead,the iron box in which his character drops money every night. He did that only after paying the art directors the equivalent of the money inside. All the artists too worked for less pay. “Madhu Ambat sir (cinematographer of the film,who won his third National Award for Adaminte…) even pitched in with financial help,” says Ahamed.

Finally,when there were no takers for the distribution rights,Kumar started a new company after his eccentrically-named house Laughing Villa,and distributed the movie himself. Adaminte… was shot in a mere 29 days. “If you have a good story to tell and know how to do your job,the budget is not a problem,” says Ahamed,who confesses to being a big fan of Iranian movies.

Now,however,all his attention is trained on ensuring the film gets a fair chance at the Oscars. Ahamed has set aside Rs 75 lakh just for the pre-nomination phase,that includes advertisements. “We have retained a PR firm in Los Angeles who will organise a few screenings before the nomination polls close. The trick is to reach out to as many jury members as possible,and there are 6,000 of them,” says Ahamed. The nomination polls close on January 13.

The Academy conducts only one official screening of each film,and Adaminte… was shown to members in mid-November. Resul Pookutty,who won the 2009 Oscar for sound mixing with Slumdog Millionaire,prepped up the film for Hollywood, and converted its DTS sound to a Dolby mix ahead of its screening for the Golden Globe 2012 nomination also held in November. The film has also been selected for the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January.

Ahamed has been in touch with the makers of Shwaas,the low-budget Marathi film that was sent to the Oscars in 2004,and the directors of Aamir Khan’s movies which were sent to the Oscars (Lagaan,Taare Zameen Par,Peepli Live). Rajeev Anchal,director of the Malayalam version of Guru too gave him tips on how to approach the nomination process. Adaminte… is the second Malayalam movie after Guru (1997) to be sent to the Oscars from India. “The money being spent lobbying for the Oscars is larger than the budget of my film,” says Ahamed.

His script for his second film is on its way,followed tentatively by a period piece set in Kerala. There are talks about a remake of Adaminte… in Hindi,with several high-budget producers knocking on his doors. Reports of a Karan Johar-produced Shah Rukh Khan starrer is doing the rounds,but the director holds his cards close to chest. “I am in talks with several producers. Work will start sometime next year,” he says.

He is also concerned about getting the right actor to play the lead in Hindi. “Finding someone who can do a job as good as Salim Kumar is my biggest worry. I want to do justice to the remake,” he says,recounting how Kumar tried dissuading him from casting him for such a serious role when he approached the comedian. “He told me to get a big star,someone who could bring in the crowds. But I was certain he was perfect for the role,” says Ahamed.

The film in Hindi,however,will not be a scene-by-scene copy. It will be a bigger movie,intended for a larger audience: “I have made the movie I wanted; now I want to make a movie that I want everyone to see,” he says.