Girish, who made his debut with ‘Thanneer Mathan Dinangal’, talks about ‘Super Sharanya’ with Anaswara Rajan in the lead
“There is nothing super about Sharanya,” says Girish AD about the leading lady of his film, Super Sharanya, releasing in theatres on January 7.
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“She is low on confidence, considers herself a loser and has a negative approach to life. She falls into a relationship that eventually leads to a lot of drama and some complicated, funny situations. That’s the crux of the movie,” says Girish.
Anaswara Rajan in a still from ‘Super Sharanya’ | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Anaswara Rajan plays Sharanya Vasudevan, an engineering student. Her roommates in her college hostel are played by Mamitha Baiju, Devika Gopal Nair and Rosna Joshi. “Although the film revolves around Sharanya, her friends are integral to the storyline. Sharanya is closer to Mamitha’s character, a dominating, overprotective youngster. The relationship among the four friends was interesting to explore,” says Girish. Arjun Ashokan and Naslen K Gafoor too play significant roles in the protagonist’s life.
Girish, who has written the story and screenplay, adds that there are traits of his character in Sharanya. “She is a female version of what I have been for many years. I am a pessimist and have social anxiety!” he says.
Director Girish AD | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Why did he opt for a female protagonist then? “I thought that it would be interesting and refreshing for the audience if it was a woman. I didn’t want to create a story with a bold and headstrong heroine. I have found many such characters to be fake. It had to be a story about characters with flaws and imperfections. I am sure many college-goers would be able to relate to the young women,” he explains.
He adds that having worked with Anaswara in Thanneer Mathan... and being a fan of her acting, she was the obvious choice to play Sharanya. “She has done justice to the role.”
Riding high on expectations
Having proved his mettle with his debut film, Thanneer Mathan Dinangal (2019), an engaging and breezy take on school days and teenage romance, Girish admits that he is weighed down by high expectations. “I would have been nervous even if Super Sharanya had been my first film. But this scenario has put me under lot of pressure because I know viewers will compare both my films and I am worried about what their verdict would be!”
Anaswara Rajan, Rosna Joshi, Devika Gopal Nair and Mamitha Baiju in ‘Super Sharanya’ | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Shot in Palakkad, Ernakulam and the campus of Government Engineering College, Thrissur, the shooting was held in different schedules due to the pandemic. “Although we started the shoot in February 2021, it had to be stopped for a few months when the second wave of the pandemic hit us,” he says.
Many in the Thanneer Mathan… team are part of Super Sharanya as well. Girish says,“Besides Anaswara and Naslen, we have Sajin Cherukayil, Vineeth Vishwam, Varun Dhara and Vineeth Vasudevan who did small roles in Thanneer Mathan…. We have the same people in music, make-up, costume, sound design and mixing departments.” Shebin Backer, one of the producers of Thanneer Mathan… has produced this movie with Girish.
Devika Gopal Nair, Rosna Joshi, Anaswara Rajan and Mamitha Baiju during the photoshoot for ‘Super Sharanya’ | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Songs from the movie are chart-toppers. “Justin [Varghese] experimented with the soundscape and we have fresh voices. One of them is Sharath Chettanpady, the lead voice of ‘Ashuba mangalakaari’, whom we found on social media,” he says.
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