Ithihasa

Ithihasaa

Ithihasa Theatrical Release Poster

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Binu S
Produced by Rajesh Augustine
Written by Aneesh Lee Ashok
(Story & screenplay)
Anil Narayanan
(Dialogue)
Starring Anusree
Shine Tom Chacko
Swapna Menon
Balu Varghese
Divya Prabha
Music by Deepak Dev
Cinematography Sinoj P. Ayyappan
Edited by Jovin John
Production
company
ARK Media
Distributed by ARK Release
Release dates
  • 10 October 2014
Running time
 150 minutes
Country India
Language Malayalam
Budget INR2.5 crore (US$400,000)[1]

Ithihasa is a 2014 Malayalam fantasy comedy film written by Aneesh Lee Ashok and directed by Binu S. The film tells the story of body swapping between a conservative young software professional girl (Anusree) and an easy going young petty thief Shine Tom Chacko.

The script is penned by debutant Aneesh Lee Ashok and the dialogues are written by Anil Narayanan. The cinematography is handled by Sinoj P. Ayyapan and the music is composed by Deepak Dev. Ithihasa is produced by Rajesh Augustine under the banner of ARK Media.

The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences.[2] It turned out to be a sleeper hit, and was lauded as one of the best comedies in the recent times.[3]

Plot

The story, set in Kochi is about the body swapping of a petty thief and a conservative software professional.

Cast

Production

The film marked the directorial debut of Binu S. Kalady, a wedding photographer who also has a couple of ad films to his credit.[4] Most of the crew members also did not have any experience in cinema. Binu says, "All we had was optimism. We were a bunch of photographers whose only association with cinema was as an audience. But, I had unbridled passion for movies and that’s how I decided to do a movie. I spent almost a year on another project, but couldn’t get a producer. Then my friends suggested I come up with a more cost-effective project so that we could pump in the money ourselves. That’s when I zeroed in on Ithihasa."[1]

The film centers on body swapping, a theme that has been explored earlier in many films. The director says: "This thread has been explored earlier in Hollywood, as in It’s a Boy Girl Thing. Another film featuring a story on body swapping was Freaky Friday. We used this thread to develop into a story suited for the Indian audience."[4] According to some reviewers, the film is loosely based on the 2002 Hollywood film The Hot Chick.

Binu said in an interview that actors and actresses whom he initially approached rejected the script saying the story was too unbelievable.[3] Later he signed Shine Tom Chacko and Anusree as the lead pair. Binu had interacted with Shine Tom Chacko earlier and was confident he could do the lead character. But even the crew themselves were apprehensive about his choice of actress, Anusree.[5] However, Binu was convinced "though she herself wasn't".[3] For Shine Tom Chacko, who has worked in 15 films, Ithihasa was the first in a lead role.[4] He says: "The director had approached me for a short film, but the project did not take off due to some reason. He had narrated the thread of Ithihasa then. There is a Hollywood film, The Hot Chick, with a similar storyline; Binu was confident about the subject and so I agreed to do it."[6] Recalling the efforts that went into be the character, Shine said in an interview that playing a woman was quite challenging but being a keen observer of women from childhood helped him to become the character effortlessly.[7]

The film was made with a minimal budget of INR2.5 crore (US$400,000).[1]

Soundtrack

All lyrics written by B. K. Harinarayanan, all music composed by Deepak Dev. Music released on East Coast.

Track listing
  1. "Kannimalare Kanninazhake" - Najeem Arshad, Gayathri Suresh
  2. "Ambada Njaane Chellada Mone" - Deepak Dev, Lonely Doggy, Sannidanandan
  3. "Jeevitham Maayapambaram" - Ronny Philip, Lonely Doggy
Reception

The soundtrack received positive reviews. The Times of India wrote: "Blending melody and peppiness with smooth lyrics, composer Deepak Dev and lyricist Harinarayanan dish out a standard album and it makes for a pleasant listen. Itihasa has three songs, which are catchy and hummable."[8]

Critical reception

The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences.[2] The Hindu wrote: "this small film does entertain in parts and is a better watch than the ones coming branded as ‘comedy’."[9] The Times of India rated the film 3/5 and said, "the director has done a decent job and the film, with all its absurdity, makes for a cute, light-hearted entertainer."[10] Rediff.com gave 2.5/5 rating and said, "The storyline sounds simple and thin but the way it is presented makes Ithihasa worth watching."[11] Sify.com gave the verdict as "watchable" and said, "Ithihasa is far from perfect but this one is a genuine attempt from a bunch of newcomers."[12] Nowrunning.com rated the film 2.5/5 and wrote: "'Ithihasa' may not surprise or leave you awestruck. It is a simple humorous tale with the infusion of a bit of fantasy."[13]

Box office

Ithihasa turned out to be a sleeper hit, and was lauded as one of the best comedies in the recent times.[3] The DVD of the film was released on the first week of December.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Suresh, Meera (6 November 2014). "Making 'Ithihasa'". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nicy V. P. (10 October 2014). "'Ithihasa' Review Roundup: Critics and Audiences Give Thumbs Up". International Business Times. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Prakash, Asha (20 November 2014). "I want to be known as the common man’s director, says Binu S". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ramachandran, Mythily (27 November 2014). "‘Ithihasa’, a Malayalam film, deals with body swapping". Gulf News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Soman, Deepa (9 December 2014). "My team was not sure whether Anusree will act well as a boy: Binu S". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  6. ↑ Karthikeyan, Shruti (17 October 2014). "Anusree has enacted me well in Ithihasa: Shine Tom Chacko". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Soman, Deepa (24 October 2014). "Playing Janaki was a challenge: Shine Tom Chacko". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "Ithihasa music review". The Times of India. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  9. ↑ Praveen, S. R. (12 October 2014). "A watchable body swap". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  10. ↑ Prakash, Asha (12 October 2014). "Ithihasa". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  11. ↑ Paresh C Palicha (13 October 2014). "Review: Ithihasa is enjoyable". Rediff.com. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  12. ↑ http://www.sify.com/movies/ithihasa-review-malayalam-15058423.html
  13. ↑ http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/14891/malayalam/ithihasa/4931/review/

External links