The movie of my love

Early this year, when Ente Mezhuthiri Athazhangal (My Candlelight Dinners) was announced, it was quick to pique the interest of movie-goers because of one name associated with the movie — Anoop Menon. Through acclaimed movies like Cocktail, Beautiful and Trivandrum Lodge, the actor had established himself as a brand with the scripts he penned. Why did he wait for four long years to write his next script?

“Honestly, I don't know,” quips Anoop. “I didn't even realise that four years passed without me writing anything.” Of course, he had been busy – acting in over 20 movies, travelling in between. It wasn’t an idle period.

The script has been in his mind for those four years; it germinated during a journey to the Himalayas when he and his wife Shema were staying at a wooden cottage in Narkanda, Shimla. He reminisces, “It was a wonderful place with snow-capped mountains and nothing but beauty and serenity around. At the secluded cottage, apart from us, there was only one more couple residing. We had a chat and found out that he is a chef and she, a designer candle manufacturer. That couple are the lead of Ente Mezhuthiri Athazhangal.”

So, is it a film inspired from real life? “Yes, the characters are, and a tiny part of their story is, but nothing else is taken from their life,” he vouches. 

Directed by Sooraj Thomas, the film has Anoop in the role of Sanjay Paul, the chef, and Mia George as Anjali, the chandler.

“Its a movie where love, candles and food blend. In the movie, there's a recipe of Mon Amour chicken, which, in French, means ‘the chicken of my love’. It's believed to be the original recipe of love,” says Anoop, whose visits to candle stores in London too have influenced in shaping up the screenplay.

Anoop admits that he has given his soul into the script. “I’d love to believe that this is my best till date,” he says. The toughest part was discovering Anjali. “Hunting for the apt person was very tiresome. I approached many actresses, but for some reason, I wasn't convinced. I couldn’t find Anjali's spark in their eyes,” recalls Anoop, who chanced upon Mia at Kochi airport on his way back from Milan. “It was 3 am and I was checking out my baggage thinking about Anjali when suddenly someone patted on my shoulder. It was Mia. Meeting her then and there was the right moment. I told her that we had to meet the next morning. And when I narrated the story, I could see palpable excitement brimming in her eyes,” he says.

The film is all set for release on 27th and Anoop is super excited. “I am very happy about the movie, its five songs composed by Jayachandran and penned by Rafeeq Ahmed, the background score by Rahul Raj and Jithu Damodaran’s stunning cinematography.”

Did Anoop see himself as the hero while scripting? Laughing, he says, "I was never the original choice for any of my scripts. It all just happened. I always perform better on other artiste's scripts. And whenever I have been part of my scripts, I have had no big moments. Take Beautiful, it's not mine; it’s Jayan's movie!"

Now Jayasurya is mentioned, the inevitable question pops up. When will we get to see the magical chemistry again? “Very soon,” he says. “With V.K. Prakash, we have Trivandrum Lodge 2 coming up. And then there's a series of movies with Jayan being planned.”

The two, who had made their acting debut together, had gifted Mollywood memorable movies such as Cocktail, Beautiful, Trivandrum Lodge and Hotel California. “Our plan back then was to take a six-month break and then come back. But the gap turned into four years. In a way, that's good. Now we can start afresh. I’m well-aware that he is not the upcoming star of the times of Cocktail or Beautiful. Having carved a niche for himself, Jayan has grown into a star. And I'm sure that the beautiful chemistry between us will work wonders again,” he smiles.

In each of his movie, there were surprise revelations of great performance moments -Jayasurya in Cocktail and Trivandrum Lodge, Tini Tom in Beautiful or Kalpana in The Dolphins. What’s in store for Ente Mezhuthiri Athazhangal? Claiming that the surprise performances are not an intentional addition, Anoop reveals, “I think this movie has Baiju in perhaps a career-defining role, and of course, Miya.”

The film, he says, is a mirror into relationships. “We have seen friendships blossoming into love at many instances. But this movie is about how love develops into a beautiful camaraderie. It's all colours and beauty; there’s no dirt and sweat. It’s a flowery movie with rich frames and lovely story.”

As the release nears, Anoop keeps his fingers crossed. “Ente Mezhuthiri Athazhangal, my baby, is born. Now is the time of last-minute touch ups. I'm dressing her up to show her the world,” says the actor, who will be next scripting for debutante Mahadevan Thampi’s directorial. There’s a remake of a Tamil movie too on the cards.

Ask if it’s time to take the next step and don the director’s hat, Anoop quickly responds, “No such plans as of now. I have never expected to be an actor or a scriptwriter or a lyricist. It all just fell into place at the right time. Who knows all these,” he exclaims.