Manu Swaraj was heartbroken when his directorial debut, Padakkalam, opened to not-so-positive opinions. But over three weeks into its launch, he’s a joyful man, with the film, a fantasy entertainer, rising a sleeper hit at the box office.
Padakkalam is the story of 4 shut mates who’re engineering college students — Jithin (Sandeep Pradeep), Kannan (Saaf Boi), Ramsad (Arun Pradeep) and Nakul (Arun Ajikumar). The fantasy aspect kicks in when Jithin, an introvert attempting to recover from a break-up, discovers that certainly one of their professors, Renjith TS (Sharafudheen) has a superpower which he makes use of to regulate his skilled rival, Shaji KK (Suraj Venjaramoodu). Jithin too turns into a prey to Renjith’s energy. As the 4 mates got down to remedy this, issues exit of hand, resulting in a giggle riot.
“They are frontbenchers,” Manu says. “We have so many films that talk about the backbenchers and mostly about their mischief or unlawful activities. The world we created did not resonate with some of the reviewers. Thankfully word-of-mouth publicity brought in more viewers for the movie.”
Manu Swaraj on the location of Padakkalam
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Manu, 30, specifies that the thought was born on February 23, 2023, whereas he was understanding in a fitness center! He shared it with Nithin C Babu, his classmate, who has co-written the movie. “I prefer to call him the writer and myself the co-writer. The thought came at a time when our script pitches were getting rejected. I felt that this might be our last chance and so we decided that even if we did not get a producer, we would make the film somehow. We were that excited about the concept,” says Manu, who hails from Karamana in Thiruvananthapuram.
Manu and Nithin have used a few of their character traits in the movie. “For example, Jithin’s mannerisms in the first half are Nithin’s and the second half, mine.”
Manu, an engineer, used to make quick movies even whereas at school. “I did engineering because I wanted a degree and the subject interested me. But there was no plan to go along that path further.” The turning level was when he submitted certainly one of his quick movies, Corridor, to an inter-college competition, whereas in his first yr of engineering. “I was not enthused about taking part in the contest. But the fact that my film will be projected on a big screen excited me. That decision changed my life,” he says.
(From left) Arun Ajikumar, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Arun Pradeep, Saaf Boi and Sandeep Pradeep in a scene from Padakkalam
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“Basil Joseph, who had by then established his credentials with his short films and was assisting Vineeth Sreenivasan in Thira, was a judge of the competition. He appreciated the work and even suggested introducing a new award category — one for best upcoming talent and I won that honour. He also asked me to get in touch with him. When I called him, he asked if I was interested in assisting him in his debut film, Kunjiramayanam. That was an offer I couldn’t resist.”
Since Basil insisted that he end his course earlier than becoming a member of movies, Manu didn’t work in his sophomore movie, Godha. In 2019, Basil referred to as him to help in Minnal Murali. Even although Manu was requested to hitch as an assistant in the artwork route group, he ultimately “worked in almost all the departments for the next two years. It was exciting, especially working with the VFX and special effects team. Those two years were like a film school. Working closely with Basil chettan helped me understand his process and approach to cinema.”
(From left) Sharafudheen, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Arun Pradeep, Saaf Boi and Arun Ajikumar in a scene from Padakkalam
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It was Basil who was instrumental in greenlighting Padakkalam. “Once the script was almost ready, I realised that it was a structure I learnt from Basil chettan and I was sure he would say yes to the project. I wanted him to play Renjith. Even though he loved the story, he couldn’t do it because he had no dates. He was the one who told us that the project would need a big production house. He helped us get in touch with (producer) Vijay Subramaniam who brought in his close friend and producer, Vijay Babu. That helped us a lot because Vijay Babu came to our rescue on occasions when the shoot had almost got stalled.”
Arriving at the forged
Manu says Suraj was the solely option to play Shaji. “The Malayali audience has given the license to do mad-cap comedy to a few actors and he is one of them.” There had been a number of selections to play Renjith till Sharaf mentioned sure.
To play Jithin, that they had approached “a marketable actor”, however that didn’t materialise. “However, casting Sandeep for the role was the right decision. He understood the script and nuances in the first sitting itself. As for the other three boys, I chose Arun (Pradeep) after watching his YouTube videos. The character was curated for him. Saaf Boi and Arun (Ajikumar) impressed us with their rapport on and off the screen.”
Sharafudheen in Padakkalam
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Discussing his method to comedy, Manu says, “The film worked because we did not deliberately generate laughs. It is the irony that created humour. I learnt it from Basil chettan. There is irony in the premise and we tapped into it. The biggest advantage we had were actors such as Suraj chettan and Sharaf ikka who can make comedy from thin air.”
Manu notes that he’s disillusioned that not many manufacturers are eager about making comedy movies. “If a comedy film flops that is a serious thing and that is why many filmmakers refrain from taking that risk. The golden era of Malayalam cinema has had some amazing comedy movies and I wish to see more such films.”
That Manu is a die-hard comics fan, learn DC Comics, is a given when you watch the film. “Nithin and I are hardcore DC fans. I am an atheist, but I always say that DC is my religion and Batman is my God! In fact, our actors had no clue about the DC characters and so we created a WhatsApp group, DC Boys, to educate them!”
Manu Swaraj with Rajinikanth
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And the highpoint publish launch? Meeting Rajinikanth in Kozhikode the place he was capturing for Nelson Dilipkumar’s Jailer 2. “We met him because of Suraj chettan who is acting in it. I still have not processed what all happened when we met him in his caravan. After watching the trailer, he said in the typical Rajini swag, Intha padam hit appa (This movie is a hit buddy)!”
Before signing off, Manu says that he plans to make films of all genres besides “first world, feel-good movies.”
Padakkalam is operating in theatres.
Published – May 28, 2025 10:50 am IST
