Asif Ali: We Wanted Mammukka’s Cameo in 'Rekhachitram,' Not AI
Fresh off two back-to-back hits, Asif Ali talks to us about the complex aspects of 'Rekhachitram' that drew him closer to its part-whodunit part-fan fantasy universe.
When it comes to the art of choosing movies, Asif Ali is perhaps the only Malayali actor who comes close to the kind of lineup that Mammootty throws at us each year. With strangely diverse films such as Adios Amigo, Level Cross, Kishkindha Kaandam and Rekhachitram releasing in the span of just one year, there’s even an unreal amount of confidence in his selection process.
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Speaking about what has changed, Asif Ali is happy to let The Hollywood Reporter India in on his new process.
Edited excerpts:
Both your recent hits Kishkinda Kaandam and Rekhachitram are not films that can be easily narrated to a third person. Rekhachitram, for instance, is so much more than a whodunit. How would you describe the one aspect of the film that appealed to you most?
Like Rekha Pathrose (Anaswara Rajan) in Rekhachitram, I too am someone who dreamt a lot about becoming a part of Malayalam cinema. So, whenever I work on a movie, I find a lot of joy in meeting new people on the sets. I try my best to make sure everyone who shares screen space with me is at their most comfortable, also because I know that is what’s best for me, for them and for the movie.
I’ve had so many instances where I never meet some of those actors again, especially junior artistes or character actors. But I’m always curious about what happened to them when I re-watch those movies. Once they act in a film, it’s almost like they become a part of history. But what is their identity outside of that film? Rekhachitram plays on that curiosity.
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What drew you to your character in the film?
My role is that of a police officer who is investigating what happened to Rekha Pathrose several decades ago. In theory, my character and Rekha do not even meet each other but you sense an attachment that my character Vivek feels towards her. But as an actor, I relate so strongly with Rekha’s journey because like her, I too wanted to become a part of the movies, like she did. The film also works as alternate reading of history, which again is very new for us.
Was Mammootty’s AI avatar a major draw for you to do the film?
Initially, the idea wasn’t to use an AI avatar. What was in the script was to have Mammukka in a guest appearance in the climax… along the lines of what Jagdish sir has done now. We didn’t discuss it with Mammukka, but we wanted him to come as himself physically after the entire investigation is over. But the present version of the screenplay was developed over five years, after the director Jofin finished working on The Priest.
Were you nervous about pulling off the AI parts?
Naturally. The examples we've had of films using AI before this were miserable failures. But during the pre-production, the CG team gave us a demo at our office. Mammukka’s body double too was present and within three hours, we got a sample of the work we could apply on the final film. In other words, they showed us a living, breathing Mammootty from the '80s walking up and down in our office. It was entirely convincing and that gave us the courage to go ahead.
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But beyond the technology, even the writing of those portions is so intricate.
That’s how much detailing which goes into Jofin’s approach. You might think it's all about the technique, but there’s an insane amount of work that has gone into training the body double’s mannerism to match Mammukka’s. For instance, there’s a way Mammukka gets up from his seat in the '80s portion and then goes on to pull back his kurta. That is something Mammukka does in real life too, but it has never been captured on-screen. Only someone who has spent that much time with him would have been able to make such an observation about his body language.
The film has found another set of fans after it released on SonyLIV, that too for the way they’re pointing out minute details…
We had added so many tiny details thinking that only those who work in films will understand. But it's so heartening to see viewers take note and point out those additions. For me personally, I had gone to watch the re-release of Interstellar in Coimbatore during my shoot of Jeethu Joseph’s Mirage. I got only one ticket and went alone to watch it on IMAX. When I went to get some coffee during the interval, almost the entire theatre recognised me. This has never happened to me outside of Kerala, but I feel it's the difference that has been brought about by my films getting viewed on OTT. When Tamil viewers started talking to me about my movie Level Cross, I felt so happy!
Rekhachitram is also your fourth consecutive police role (Kuttavum Shikshayum, Kooman, Thalavan) in as many years. But the fact that your character is introduced as someone who gets caught in an online betting scam, makes him more interesting…
That’s what gives him a redemption arc. It’s not just his duty to solve the crime but also his desperation to prove himself. None of this made it to the final film, but we’d explored quite a bit about why he gets caught in such a way. We saw my character Vivek as someone who hails from a hilly area where it's not uncommon for people to casually play rummy for money. It’s also not uncommon for someone like him to play online rummy for money either. But he gets caught because he is ratted out by a colleague who isn’t called for a treat that Vivek planned with his rummy winnings! So, it’s not that Vivek is corrupt or questionable; that’s why he’s so desperate to prove himself.
Finally, your films and unique choices are getting the love they deserve during their theatrical runs. But can you name one film which didn’t get its due? For me, your film Iblis is a personal favourite.
Ozhimuri (2012), directed by Madhupal. It’s a complicated and layered film. It’s also a film I can relate to personally. I’m someone who wanted to run away from home for a very long time. But once you do that, you desperately want to somehow return home to the love and care of your parents. I’ve experienced this personally and even now when I speak about the film, I get so excited to uncover so many tiny aspects of its screenplay. When people talk about that film, I feel ecstatic.