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Innocent | Photo: Mathrubhumi
In order to make things happen the way one wishes, everyone would use certain tricks. Even I have done that sometimes. When the A.M.M.A decided on the movie ‘20-20’, it was thought as an easy task. But within days into shooting, we understood that it’s not going to be that easy. It was mainly due to the ego issues of the lead actors.
When one person gives the date, the other can’t. ‘Just because the other person has time doesn’t mean that I have to make time and come’, they said. When the other person has time this person would be engaged. ‘What’s so special about him? would be the next question. Things were going down the drain with the actors competing against each other. Dileep, the producer of the movie was after my life asking me to help him finish the shooting of the movie.
I had a trick in my mind. That trick would help in completing the movie shoot. I called up one of the lead actors and said, ‘I spoke to the other actor. He said he is going to be in Singapore during the 17th-27th of next month. Therefore, he won’t be able to give his date.’
‘And then, what did you say’, the actor enquired.
‘I had only said this much. You go to America or Singapore or wherever you want. But when you return, you’ll no longer be a part of the Malayalam film industry. I know what is to be done for that. All the members have agreed to back me up on this decision’. I could hear a bleared laugh from the other side of the phone. But holding that back, he enquired, ‘Don’t you think that’s a little too much for a punishment’.
‘Yes, it's required. Let me see if I can teach people like him a lesson’, I said. He laughed and said, ‘I am okay doing it from 17th-27th’. Before hanging up the phone, he confirmed by asking, ‘so, you won’t reconsider your decision…’
‘No. I won’t be reconsidering the decision. He will no longer be a part of the Malayalam film industry’, I gave him my word.
‘Okay, okay…’, he said and hung up the phone.
The next thing that I did was to call up the other actor. Concealing the fact that the other actor had given his date, I told him, ‘I spoke to the other actor. He said that he will be on a tour in Germany during the 17th-27th of next month. Therefore, he won’t be coming for the shoot.’
‘What did you say to that?’
I told him off. ‘You stay in Germany. Don’t ever return. If you ever do, you’ll no longer be a part of the Malayalam film industry. I know what is to be done about this’, I said.
‘Isn’t he a poor guy, brother. Why would you hurt him like that?’, he said giggling.
‘Only then he would learn his lesson’, I said.
‘I don’t have a problem. I am ready to do it then,’ he said confirming his date.
Both the actors had reached on time for the shoot. On reaching there, the first actor enquired if the other actor had come. He had a sad expression on his face when he got to know that the other actor was there. The other actor also enquired the same way. The response was the same. Anyway, the shooting happened without much hassle.
During the A.M.M.A’s general body meeting, I decided to speak about this. I discussed this incident in the presence of all the members of the association. I noticed that the actors had their heads down while I was speaking about it.
After the meeting had concluded, Edavela Babu came to me and told me, ‘your plan was amazing. It turned out to be successful.’ Hearing this, people started laughing. He continued, ‘it’s true. But brother, sometimes you don’t handle things intellectually’.
‘Why would you say that Babu?’, I asked.
‘What else should I say then? If you had this trick at your disposal, we could’ve have used it to shoot the next movies as well. By revealing the truth, we are void of the chance to use it again.’
I told him, ‘Babu, you must understand one thing. I’ve just used a small trick now. I have bigger tricks in my mind. We can use that next time. How about that…’
‘For real.?..Okay then’, Babu said. His eyes were bulging out in surprise while saying these words. When I look at him now, I feel that the eyes that had bulged out that day remained the same from then on.
Excerpt from Innocent’s book ‘Irinjalakudakku Chuttum’ Buy Innocent's book here
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