Peruchazhi: Mass entertainment

To break even in three days, despite an Rs10 crore budget – that is the box-office magic that Peruchazhi, the Mohanlal-starrer, now playing at theatres in the UAE, has pulled off.

For Bollywood, familiar with its Rs200 and Rs100 crore club, the figure might appear paltry. But in Malayalam cinema, this is momentous by all measures, and no matter how the film fares in the coming days, it has made its date with history.

And for the film’s producer Vijay Babu, who also plays one of the eight central characters of Peruchazhi, the success is a vindication of his trust in the film’s one-liner.

“Peruchazhi comes with no pretense of high art,” he reminds, referring to the disclaimer at the start of the movie to “leave your brains behind and enjoy.”

“This is a celebration of Mohanlal, as how we wanted to see him on-screen,” says Vijay, who has been redefining the norms of the Malayalam film industry, with innovative marketing blitzkriegs and a new approach to film production.

He had tasted box-office and critical acclaim earlier with Philips and the Monkey Pen, in which too he played a central role. “When we made Monkey Pen, the question was: ‘Could we entrust a movie to two 21-year-old directors?’,” says Vijay. “Now, they ask, why we assigned our big budget production to a director from Tamil cinema.”

To the uninitiated, Peruchazhi is directed by Arun Vaidyanathan, an Indian-American director, who debuted in films with a Tamil feature, Achchamundu! Achchamundu!

“My answer to both is that a film’s crew and cast are decided by its content,” says Vijay. “We had a very interesting premise for Peruchazhi, in which we transplant the pettiness and hilarity that we often see in Kerala’s politics into the US milieu. It is a satire - and one that Malayalis the world over will relate to because at the end of the day, every Malayali follows politics at some level.”

Formerly based in Dubai, working as a television executive, Vijay planned out Peruchazhi with extreme care, given that a chunk of the film was shot on location in the US, and also gaining credit as the first Malayalam film to be shot at Universal Studios in Hollywood.

Almost everything - from the Devyani Khobragade episode that rocked Indo-US relations to visa and travel formalities - posed challenges for the Peruchazhi team. “Our biggest challenge was the dollar rate,’ says Vijay. “We had to finish the film on schedule and on budget, racing against money exchange rate fluctuations.”

He entrusted all logistical aspects of the film to a legal firm in the US, ensuring the film’s seamless completion on schedule. “And it further helped that the director is US-based,” adds Vijay.

Vijay says Peruchazhi brings out the humour, the naughtiness and the inimitable charm of Mohanlal like never before. Lal plays a wily politician who is brought to the US to orchestrate the US presidential campaign. Now, don’t blink in disbelief. As Vijay says, this is a spoof and satire. “We wanted audiences to watch it like a Jim Carrey movie.”

Also starring Mukesh, Baburaj and Aju Varghese, and Ragini Nandwani as the female lead, Vijay says his own role in the film came about by chance much like his role in Monkey Pen. “We approached a number of actors, who fit the requisites of a savvy Indian-American. While all of them were eager to be part of the team, none of them could accommodate 80 days of shooting schedule in the US.”

When Mohanlal also gave the encouraging nod, Vijay took on the role of the poll team member of a US presidential candidate, who calls on the services of Jagannathan (Lal) to turn the tides. Vijay says the name of the film is a perfect fit to the sly characterisation of Jagannathan. “In south Kerala, we use the word ‘peruchazhi’ to describe those who will go to any extent to get their goals slyly.”

The film has every component that will appeal to the mass audience, and Vijay says the biggest marketing tool of the film has been ‘word of mouth.’ “With the largest opening for any Malayalam film to date in 500 screens globally, we wanted to make sure it was seen and heard. From local trains to bus shelters and social media, our marketing strategy was to ensure Peruchazhi positioned itself for its genre – a mass commercial entertainer.”

Ultimately, it is also a tribute to the Mohanlal everyone loves. The film has several references to yesteryear Mohanlal movies and characters. “In my childhood days, Onam meant a great movie of Mohanlal or Mammootty. Peruchazhi is our Onam gift. As our tagline says, ‘This Onam, celebrate with sumptuous feast, new clothes and Peruchazhi.”

The film is now playing at theatres in the UAE.