It is hard to believe that next year, in 2027, Kunchacko Boban, affectionately called Chackochan, will complete 30 years in the film industry. Ageless, as an adjective, does not convey it. He is all smiles as he settles down for the conversation about his latest film, Unmadham, his years in the industry, and being seen as an actor rather than a star.Unmadham will be Kunchacko Boban’s third film with writer Shahi Kabir, best known for writing cop stories drawn from his own experience as a policeman. Three cop roles with the same writer? This is from an actor who did not want to be stereotyped.Chackochan anticipates the question.“It is a cop role, but all the police characters I have essayed in Shahi’s movies, be it Praveen Michael of Nayattu or Hari Sankar of Officer on Duty, are different. Shelly (in Unmadham) cannot be connected to the other two or even the movies. During the trailer launch event, he (Shahi) announced that this movie doesn’t have the typical, dark ending of a Shahi Kabir movie! This is the first Shahi Kabir movie with the U 13+ censor certificate.”
Kunchacko Boban in Officer on Duty
| Photo Credit:
cueapi
A ‘surprise’ element of the film is the combination of a regular police station story/thriller with a dash of the supernatural, which, he feels, would work with the audience.Shelly is a police constable who wants to be in films, like Shahi. “Naturally, the characters and episodes in the film have shades of real life and resemble Shahi’s experiences but told more cinematically.” The other factor Chackochan is convinced would work for the film is the cast, which boasts names like Lijomol Jose and Sudheesh.He makes special mention of the director, Kiran Das, a debutant who brings the experience of having edited films like Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, Joseph, Moothon, Joji, Ela Veezha Poonchira, Romancham, and Ullozhukku, among others. It was Shahi who suggested working with Kiran, and Chackochan was only too happy to do so — because Kiran was a newcomer, which meant less pressure, not too much hype. The audience would give the director some leeway and some concession because it is his first. “The problem with hyped movies is the expectations, which fortunately Unmadham doesn’t have. We feel it is a blessing in disguise!” The team is counting on the curiosity the trailer has generated with its suggestion of the supernatural.
