In his second directorial venture, the actor has brought together an ensemble cast starring Tovino Thomas and Darshan Rajendran.
In his second directorial venture, the actor has brought together an ensemble cast starring Tovino Thomas and Darshan Rajendran.
Vineet Kumar is happy that his second directorial has ticked off many boxes from his wish list. Dear friend, Which is releasing on 10th June.
The actor, who made his directorial debut with Fahadh Faasil-starrer ayal nazanalla In 2015, fulfilled his dream of working with cinematographer Shayju Khalid and the writer duo of Sharfu and Suhas, known for films like Varthan, virus And Puzhu.
Vineet has hit the jackpot with the cast as well. Apart from Tovino Thomas, Darshan Rajendran and director Basil Joseph, the film stars Arjun Lal, Arjun Radhakrishnan and Sanchana Natarajan. They play the role of a group of friends based in Bengaluru.
“Many films have been made on friendship. but Dear friend Friendship is different. We all have that dear friend(s) whom we believe will always be with us. We share our joys, hopes and fears with them, even those we don’t tell our families. But what if that friend decides to get out of that relationship? Only then do you realize that you do not understand that person. Dear friend Explores this angle of friendship. ,
Vineet Kumar (left) with actor-director Basil Joseph on ‘Dear Friend’. photo credit: special arrangement
It was Arjun Lal who took the idea of the story to Vineet. “He has been in Bengaluru for some time and hence has a lot of personal experiences in the narrative. I thought it had the potential to be a film. But since I was busy with the pre-production work of my second film ayal nazanalla At that time, we thought of doing it later,” says Vineet. However, he later noticed dear friends And put his second project on hold.
Vineet noticed that there is a new character in Tovino’s filmography. “There is an innocence in his dialogue delivery and we wanted to tap into that aspect of his acting. Even though I wasn’t sure he’d be able to pull it off, he was on track within a few days. As for the other actors, they were chosen because we felt they deserved the bill. ,
Friends Forever
Tovino Thomas and Arjun Radhakrishnan in a scene from ‘Dear Friend’ directed by Vineet Kumar. photo credit: special arrangement
He says the actors found themselves so good that they didn’t have to put in any effort. “He is a sensible, experienced actor. I wanted their performance to be organic and I got what I wanted. After the shoot, the two would hang out together, party and have fun. Apart from Bengaluru, we also had a schedule of 10 days in Mumbai. Some of them didn’t even need those scenes, but they traveled to Mumbai paying from their own pocket to be with the team,” he added.
So how was it working with three other directors: Shaiju, Sameer and Basil? “The making process went smooth with so many experienced and talented people. I was confident that I would be able to make the film the way I had envisioned it. Wouldn’t Shyamu and Sameer come on board? [as producers] The project would not have happened. With the story we had, it would have been difficult for me to explain it to any other producer,” says Vineet. Aashiq Usman is the third producer of the film.
being a filmmaker
Acting comes second only to directing for Vineet, who has done several films as a child artist before taking on supporting roles. He has decided not to act in his films but continues to act and has an upcoming release, Simon Daniels,
Vineet Kumar (left) with cinematographers Sameer Tahir and Shayju Khalid, who are also producers of “Dear Friend”. photo credit: special arrangement
“I always wanted to be behind the camera, probably because of my father who is a photographer. When I was young, I tried to make films with my siblings. I have been making ad films for 12 years. I I am a self-taught filmmaker. I think if I had assisted a filmmaker, I would have been impressed by that particular director’s approach to a subject,” he says.
even though ayal nazanalla Didn’t do well in theatres, Vineet says didn’t break his heart. “Nazariya, just before the release of the film” [Fahadh’s wife] Asked if it was going to be a hit. I told her it would be an average film and she was shocked. I said this because for a film to be a blockbuster, it has to be a love story, a comedy or a thriller. ayal nazanalla Doesn’t fall into any of these categories. So I had to tell the story in the most interesting way without relying on these elements and it was not easy,” he indicated.