The coming together of Malayalam cinema’s two superstars, Mammootty and Mohanlal, after 18 years. A star-studded ensemble cast with names like Kunchacko Boban, Fahadh Faasil, Nayanthara, Darshana Rajendran, Revathi and Rajiv Menon. A highly decorated crew coming together for one of the expensive movies in Malayalam. Mahesh Narayanan’s Patriot had many things going for it and therefore expectations were high.

The spy thriller explores the dark side of digital surveillance, especially when it is used by corporates and those in power to monitor each movement of every citizen, to silence the voices of dissent. In this case, it is Periscope, which, hints at the controversies surrounding the use of foreign spyware on journalists, activists, politicians, etc. in India. Fighting against Periscope is a government servant, Daniel James (Mammootty), who is declared a dissident by the government. He turns whistleblower, operating from a foreign country through his YouTube channel, Vimathan. Lending him support is his long-time friend, Col Rahim Naik (Mohanlal), a war veteran who lost a leg in action.

A few days into its release, Mahesh, the director of critically-acclaimed movies such as Take Off, C U Soon, Ariyippu and Malik, is at the receiving end of bouquets and brickbats. While many have praised him for side-stepping fan service with his screenplay, technical finesse and grounded filmmaking, there is a group unhappy about Mohanlal being under utilised and an average second half, among other things. But Mahesh, the writer and one of the editors of the movie, sounds unperturbed when we catch up.

Excerpts from an interview:

How the story took shape

The idea developed from what has been happening around. There was the controversy surrounding the spyware, and I imagined a situation where that gets privatised. Then I brought in the issue of data privacy. We all know that the data we provide for various purposes gets misused. Be it the details we gave in writing at emigration offices at airports in the past or the ones given for digital processing in the current times. However, the movie is not anti-government or against the digitisation of services.

Real vs reel

This is the story of a man with dissent. I believe there is a value for dissent. There are numerous examples around us, like Saudi journalist Jamal Ahmad Hamza Khashoggi.

Several real-life incidents of dissidents being silenced inspired the narrative. Like the murders of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, and the Russian leader and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny. There was a thrill in bringing such a track in my script.

Bringing the Big Ms together

People are saying I became part of history by casting them together. That is a misunderstanding. This is my film and they came to act in my movie. It is not like I made a film because they wanted me to make one. They came on board because they have been following my work.

I finalise an actor only when the screenplay is ready; same with Patriot. I approached Mammookka because I felt he was apt for the role. He suggested Lal sir as Col Rahim. Lal sir said the role resonated with him and was hardly bothered about what happened to the character at the end. I believe it was the twist that irked many of his fans.

Lal sir said he loved the role since he had not done something like this. He knew that it was challenging to play an amputee. Also, it was a meaty role with its moments, unlike the run-of-the-mill cameo role where the actor ends up doing some buffoonery to please the fans.

They are not actors who always want to do slow-motion sequences! They knew that I was not using their aura. Even when there is action, it is rooted in the character.

Watching them perform

We started the shoot with Lal sir, and Mammookka joined two days later. Their first shot was the flashback scene where Mammookka helps Lal sir to fix his artificial limb. I didn’t think of it as special until my team pointed out. That was when I realised I have Mammootty and Mohanlal in the same frame in my movie.

It was nice to watch the ease with which they went about the shot. Many have asked whether I got a high when I saw them together. Not really. But their performance gave me a high. Like the scene where Lal sir helps Mammookka, who is unwell, sit on the bed. You can’t deny that there is an aura about both of them as they carry a scene.

They are actors who are submissive to the filmmaker since they know the purpose of the movie. Also, I didn’t have to make compromises as a filmmaker because of their star power. Nobody asked me to adapt the narrative for them. In fact, Lal sir specifically told me nothing extra for him! He understood the emotion the character entails.

Rajiv Menon, the antagonist

I have edited many of his ad films and so have known him for long. I have also watched him play the IAS officer in Vetri Maaran’s movie (Viduthalai: Part 2). That is why I approached him to play the corrupt politician, JP Sundaram.

Women in the narrative

There has been severe criticism about the shorter screen time of the women artistes [Revathy, Darshana, Nayanthara, Grace Antony]. I wanted these actors in the movie not for star value but because they are actors with immense potential. Also, their characters are integral to the narrative and each of them has a graph.

Although Revathy chechi had initially said no for the role since she preferred to do a full-length role in my film, she was in once she listened to the story. Nayanthara came in without the baggage of a superstar. From what I understand, she agreed for the part because she liked my craft.

Challenges along the way

We have shot it in locations that have not been shown in Malayalam cinema before. We must have covered over 140 locations, and it was not easy to coordinate. Sri Lanka was a major location. They also gave us a cargo plane to shoot a fight sequence and the fighter jet for the scene featuring Fahadh. The fictional country Faraha and its airport are actually Baku in Azerbaijan. London was another main location. Some scenes were shot in Sharjah, and the rest in different spots in India.

The proficient crew

This is the first Malayalam work of our cinematographer Manush Nandan, whose portfolio includes some of the big films in Bollywood [Thugs of Hindustan, Gunjan Saxena, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani, Dunki, Gustaak Ishq, etc.]. He was my batchmate at the film institute. As for music, Sushin [composer Sushin Shyam] has given a seamless soundscape for the movie.

On the whole, I would say nobody has done anything to show off their talent, be it the actors or the technicians.

Patriot is running in theatres