‘Meesha' explores the shades of grey in male friendships, says director Emcy Joseph
Hakkim Shah, Kathir, Jeo Baby, Sudhi Koppa and Shine Tom Chacko headline Meesha. The film traverses locales — from the calm coast to the intense forest with its wildlife — where the characters face their not-so pleasant side. The tussle between man and beast represents the war within the characters as they face their true feelings. The latter part of the film, as it moves towards the climax, is metaphor heavy.
'Meesha is about male friendships, the essence of which, I feel, has been diluted. Male friendships have been reduced to togetherness and 'happiness'. There are so many 'friends' — virtual, gym, rider, college, office buddies. I am speaking of that handful of friends with whom we have an emotional connection. And such bonds come with commitments — deeply emotional ones —and I am talking about those in Meesha,' says Emcy.
Excerpts from an interview
The right actors
Casting is the most important thing when I make a film. Suraj ettan (Venjaramoodu) got a Kerala State Film Award for my first film, which made me very happy. I want to continue that high, and I hope one of the actors in this film also gets an award because they have all done very well. They have put forth fantastic performances. I was particular that all the actors/characters should 'perform' in it. Though the characters I have written have an arc, the clarity comes when the 'body' (the actors) steps in. The character grows with their arrival, not on the sets but during pre-production discussions. I don't discuss the character on the set, I just tell them what they shouldn't do. At the end of the day, the director cannot become the character, give it body. That only an actor can. And often, when actors put forth the performance, I as a director, can only think… 'wow! I didn't think of it that way!'.
So, Meesha is different from other 'friendship' films?
Besides love and affection in friendships, there could be a dash of jealousy, anger and even obsession. Disappointment that our friends did not act the way we expected them to. These are emotions that would be absent in the 'passive' friendships I mentioned earlier, however the deeper bonds would have all these emotions. Even ego for that matter…that is the kind of friends and friendships we are speaking about in the film.
What led to it [Meesha]?
The inspiration came from real life incidents, of course. There is this thing I wanted to show — the male ego which makes us behave like we are unaffected by the emotions. We twirl our moustaches in pride. My attempt is to offer a peek into what is behind the pretence of being egotistical and indifferent, men can be deeply emotional, feel disappointment, and sadness when it comes to friendships. The camaraderie in male friendships is celebrated, however it has several other layers like any other relationship. Like we do with our mothers, wives or kids…we feel the same gamut of emotions when it comes to our friends too.
This is not something we see often in Malayalam cinema — the not-so-sweet side of male friendships.
Yes, there are few films in that space which speak of the greys of male friendships. Amidst films that speak of the celebration that friendship is, Meesha is different.
Are you a social observer, having made a film like Vikrithi also inspired by a real life incident?
I think all of us who live in this world are social observers, we are watching what is happening around us. We cannot live otherwise, if we don't and are unaware of what is going on, we will be irrelevant to others — our words, thoughts and actions. We are with the times because we observe our surroundings. I wish to make films that are socially relevant. I don't want to be preachy, it is showing people a mirror.
It's been a while since Vikrithi.
It's been four years since. We started filming a movie with Arjun Ashokan and Anna Ben, during the second wave of Covid-19. Everything was ready when we had to hit pause; that is when I started writing this. Writing Meesha took a couple of years. While that one was about 40-odd women, Meesha is about men! (laughs).
Can we expect that next?
I am not sure if that will be my next film, but it will happen at some point. If it had happened then it would have been back to back films.
Are you somebody who likes to make movies back to back, or would you prefer to pace yourself?
I would definitely like to do that. It is important that I get the subjects that I want to make films about. However, I would like to make films closer to each other and it might happen now because I have a couple of scripts ready.
Meesha releases in theatres on August 1
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