Kochi: Cricket is a religion in India, but for the natives of the Malabar region of Kerala, the emotional attachment to the game of football is stronger. Here is good news for all football fans in the state. Ace photographer and ad filmmaker Jamesh Kottakkal is all set to make a film with the theme of people’s love for football!
Talking about the film Jamesh says, “My hometown is Kottakkal, in Malappuram. In my childhood, when people went crazy about cricket, the football wave was much stronger in the Malabar region. We were the fiery players of the football team of our region and we used to go for competitions. We worshipped the game and the team we formed was an altogether different experience. That’s what I want to present in the film.”
The movie, tentatively titled The Beautiful Game will have Prithviraj in the lead role. “Prithviraj was so happy after hearing the story that he immediately agreed to be a part of the project. His support was immense.”
“We are presenting the inside story of the people who are involved in this game, both emotionally and physically. We are also planning to rope in some of the football players of our state. Mammokoya will play a major role in the film,” says Jamesh.
The script of the movie is by debutant Ajaykumar. “Ajaykumar is my friend. We have been discussing the concept for some time and we were waiting for the right time to make it. I can’t say more about the film because there are many other things to be done before we start shooting. Hope we can bring something new to the people since this is our first attempt.”
Jamesh has been working in the industry as a celebrity photographer for more than 10 years presenting popular actors like Mammootty, Indrajith, Kavya Madhavan and Nivin Pauly.
“My family has been into photography for many years but all of them were into the typical photography — the studio photography. So the love for photography was in my genes. It was my mentor, photographer Razzaq Kottakkal, who showed me another path in photography.”
However, the photographer-turned-director is not ready to stop being a photographer. “I can’t live one day without doing a photo shoot. Photography is etched in my psyche and I will not leave it!” smiles Jamesh.
