Mammootty rejected Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse, reveals Gautham Vasudev Menon: ’20 mins into the narration, he was in’

Mammootty did not want to do an investigative thriller

“But my Malayalam debut had to happen at some point, and what better way than to do a film with Mammootty? So, it’s all good. I heard the story by Neeraj Rajan and I saw Mammootty in the role of Dominic,” explains the Kaakha Kaakha director, adding that initially Mammootty, aka Mammukka, wasn’t keen on an investigative thriller. “In Tamil cinema, there are actors who’ll hear the story idea, and if you say, for instance, love story, they immediately say no, I want to do a mass film, etc. When he asked me about the story idea, I wanted to narrate the story to him instead. I told him I didn’t want to tell him the idea but to request that he listen to the narration, but he insisted, and I told him it was an investigative thriller. He said no, but I asked him to hear us out, and 20 minutes into the narration, he was in, and he said he’d even produce it! I think he liked the character, the characterisation and how the story pans out. The climax also is quite intense; it’s not something you’d expect.”

Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse was an unusual title for a film but the director feels it was the apt one. “The name of the character is Dominic, and it all starts off when a lady’s purse comes into his hands, and he’s asked to find the owner of the purse. I thought this would be really apt for the film and when I suggested it to Mammukka, he really liked it too. It also made a lot of sense because the character is a detective. And though I didn’t have the idea of making sequels at the time, I thought the next story could be Dominic and the Yellow Coloured Ribbon or something like that. So, we could take a series of stories around this character forward. That’s why I thought this would be a great title for the film. There’s a story in the film, but it’s very character-driven, and that’s what I liked. I love the investigative genre, and I’m trying something different with this,” he smiles.

On directing Mammootty

While Gautham worked with Mammukka as a co-star in Bazooka, this was the first time he directed him. Having worked with other stars in Tamil cinema, what was this experience like? “For me, it was more like a celebration of Mammukka. From when I watched Thaniyavarthanam, Amaram, Thalapathi, Vadakkan Veeragatha, CBI Diary Kurippu, New Delhi, and August 1, I was spellbound and thought I must get to work with this man. Now directing him in a film that’s also produced by him, I believe in life, magic, and dogged pursuit. There’s no comparison at all and it’s definitely leagues above how I envisioned it to be working with Mammootty sir. I mean – if at all and not to compare – I’ve worked with somebody legendary like Kamal sir. It was very compelling and intense to work with Kamal sir and this was on similar lines. For everything there was an edge to the way he performed and the way he handled these scenes also. Leading up to the shoot, the writer asked him how he would portray Dominic and Mamukka said, ‘I have no idea; I’ll see what Gautam has set up for me and what inspires me. He just kept adding to that meter. And the film turned out to be not a simple film at all because of the way he’s performed. It was very compelling for me and very different from anything that I’ve done before. So, there’s absolutely no comparison,” he explained.

Given that he spoke about sequels, was there another investigation or several already lined up for Dominic? “No, that’s just a thought in my head. It was not discussed with Mammootty sir at all. When I heard the story, I was drawn into that thinking. Maybe it’s just a big dream or wish for me. If this works well and the audience connects with the film and the character, thenwe could convince Mammootty sir. I’m really looking forward to the release of the film too,” he signs off.