''Lukka Chuppi'' () is a 2015 Indian
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
-language
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
co-produced and directed by Bash Mohammed and written by Gafoor Arackkal from a story by Mohammed. The film features an
ensemble cast led by
Jayasurya
Jayasurya (born August 1978) is an Indian actor, distributor, Sponsor, Model, film producer, playback singer, and impressionist, who works in the Malayalam films. He has appeared in more than 100 films and has won several awards, including a N ...
,
Murali Gopy
Gopynathan Velayudhan Nair Muralikrishnan (born 4 March 1972), professionally credited as Murali Gopy, is an Indian actor-screenwriter, producer, author, singer, lyricist, music composer and journalist. He has written critically acclaimed films ...
,
Joju George
Joseph George, better known as Joju George (born 22 October 1977) is an Indian actor, playback singer and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has acted in Malayalam films and worked on Tamil projects as well. In 2015, he won the ...
,
Ramya Nambeeshan, Chinnu Kuruvila,
Muthumani
Muthumani Somasundaran is an Indian actress who mainly works in Malayalam films. She made her cinematic debut through the Malayalam film ''Rasathanthram'' directed by Sathyan Anthikkad's in 2006.
Early life and education
Muthumani was born in ...
,
Dinesh Prabhakar
Dinesh Prabhakar, also known by his birth name Dinesh Nair, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam films.
Early life
Dinesh was born as the second child of Prabhakaran Nair and Sarojini Amma at Pulluvazhi, Perumbavoor, Ern ...
, and
Asmita Sood
Asmita Sood (born 20 December 1989) is an Indian model and actress. She made her acting debut with the 2011 Telugu film ''Brammigadi Katha''. Sood has endorsed over 40 brands. She has been a part of two television shows: Star Plus's '' Phir Bh ...
. The plot features the reunion of a group of friends from college after 14 years, reviving episodes from their past and how it affects their present life. The entire film was shot in an artificially created resort in
Thrissur
Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...
.
''Lukka Chuppi'' was released in India on 5 June 2015. It opened to positive reviews from critics, particularly for the dialogues and performances. Jayasurya received a
Special Mention at the
63rd National Film Awards
The 63rd National Film Awards was an award ceremony during which the Directorate of Film Festivals of India presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2015 in Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 28 March 2016 ...
. The film won two awards at the
46th Kerala State Film Awards
The awards were announced by minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan in Thiruvananthapuram on 1 March 2016. The winners in the fiction category were selected by a jury headed by veteran filmmaker Mohan. The other jury members were George Kithu, M.A ...
—
Special Jury Award for Jayasurya and
Special Mention for George. ''Lukka Chuppi'' was an official selection at the Indian Panorama section of the
47th International Film Festival of India
The 47th International Film Festival of India was held on 20 to 28 November 2016 in Goa.
Filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor, who was appointed Chairman of the Indian panorama section, and Sameer Arya as the Member head of the panel.
Juries International ...
.
Synopsis
A group of friends from college, Raghuram, Siddharth, Rafiq, Annie, Radhika, and Benny, reunite after a long interval of 14 years under the insistence of Xavier. The wives see a new side to their husbands, who are suddenly singing and laughing as they did during their college days. The events that follow their reunion form the crux of the story.
Cast
*
Jayasurya
Jayasurya (born August 1978) is an Indian actor, distributor, Sponsor, Model, film producer, playback singer, and impressionist, who works in the Malayalam films. He has appeared in more than 100 films and has won several awards, including a N ...
as Reghuram
*
Murali Gopy
Gopynathan Velayudhan Nair Muralikrishnan (born 4 March 1972), professionally credited as Murali Gopy, is an Indian actor-screenwriter, producer, author, singer, lyricist, music composer and journalist. He has written critically acclaimed films ...
as Siddharth
*
Joju George
Joseph George, better known as Joju George (born 22 October 1977) is an Indian actor, playback singer and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has acted in Malayalam films and worked on Tamil projects as well. In 2015, he won the ...
as Rafiq
*
Ramya Nambeeshan as Revathi Siddharth
* Chinnu Kuruvilla as Annie Reghu
*
Muthumani
Muthumani Somasundaran is an Indian actress who mainly works in Malayalam films. She made her cinematic debut through the Malayalam film ''Rasathanthram'' directed by Sathyan Anthikkad's in 2006.
Early life and education
Muthumani was born in ...
as Suhara Rafiq
*
Dinesh Prabhakar
Dinesh Prabhakar, also known by his birth name Dinesh Nair, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam films.
Early life
Dinesh was born as the second child of Prabhakaran Nair and Sarojini Amma at Pulluvazhi, Perumbavoor, Ern ...
as Benny Chacko
*
Asmita Sood
Asmita Sood (born 20 December 1989) is an Indian model and actress. She made her acting debut with the 2011 Telugu film ''Brammigadi Katha''. Sood has endorsed over 40 brands. She has been a part of two television shows: Star Plus's '' Phir Bh ...
as Radhika John
* Unnikrishnan as Alavikka
*
Abhija Sivakala as Renuka
* Master Suhail as Manu Siddarth
*
Indrans
Indrans is an Indian actor and former costume designer, who appears in Malayalam films.His mentor was Shiyas M S, a law college student. He started his film career as a costume designer and actor in 1981 and got a breakthrough in 1994 with the ...
as Narayanan (cameo appearance)
*
Saiju Kurup
Saiju Kurup (born 12 March 1979) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and occasionally in Tamil cinema. He is credited as Anirudh in Tamil movies. He debuted in ''Mayookham'' (2005) by Hariharan. As of June 2021, he h ...
as Fr. Xavier (cameo appearance)
Production
Pre-production
The film is Bash Mohammed's directorial debut, and the story was developed by himself. He initially approached with the film idea to Dinesh Prabhakar, who showed interest and became the film's
executive producer.
The title ''Lukka Chuppi'' means "hide and seek", which Bash uses as a metaphor for life. According to him, ''Lukka Chuppi'' is an
experimental film
Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that rigorously re-evaluates cinematic conventions and explores non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many experimental films, parti ...
"that explores the behavioural pattern of a group of old friends who are on a get-together after a long gap".
The story happens in one night, and centers on the re-union of six college friends with their spouses, who are now in their mid-30s. "It's not a film built on a hero-heroine format. It unravels all six lives in a very light and pleasant style while maintaining an air of feel-goodness till the last frame. Moreover, dialogue delivery is the most important aspect of the narrative, the very reason we decided to bring Resul Pookutty on board", says Bash.
Resul Pookutty
Resul Pookutty (born 30 May 1971) is an Indian film sound designer, sound editor and audio mixer. He won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, along with Richard Pryke and Ian Tapp, for ''Slumdog Millionaire''. Pookutty has worked in Hin ...
was the film's
sound design
Sound design is the art and practice of creating sound tracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including ...
er.
Bijibal
Bijibal Maniyil is an Indian music composer and playback singer who works predominantly in Malayalam films, documentaries, short films and television commercials. He has composed for more than 150 feature films, several documentaries and televisi ...
composed the music from the lyrics of Rafeeq Ahammed. ''Lukka Chuppi'' was produced by Feel Reel Cinemas.
Actor Dinesh Prabhakar, who played Benny Chacko, was also the
casting director
In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenp ...
of the film.
, the release was planned for 21 May 2015.
Casting
Jayasurya
Jayasurya (born August 1978) is an Indian actor, distributor, Sponsor, Model, film producer, playback singer, and impressionist, who works in the Malayalam films. He has appeared in more than 100 films and has won several awards, including a N ...
plays Reghuram, and according to him the character is "a creative person who is filthy rich. He is someone who has gone through many ups and downs in his life. It's an intense character".
Asmita Sood
Asmita Sood (born 20 December 1989) is an Indian model and actress. She made her acting debut with the 2011 Telugu film ''Brammigadi Katha''. Sood has endorsed over 40 brands. She has been a part of two television shows: Star Plus's '' Phir Bh ...
was reported to be in the cast in early January 2015, in an important role which brings significant development in the second half of the film. She plays Radhika; ''Lukka Chuppi'' was her second Malayalam film after the segment ''Aami'' in ''
5 Sundarikal
''5 Sundarikal'' ( en, 5 Beautiful Women) is a Malayalam romantic anthology film. It contains five short stories on love about five types of women. The stories are directed by Shyju Khalid, Sameer Thahir, Aashiq Abu, Amal Neerad and Anwar Rashee ...
'' (2013). The actress joined the film in mid-January 2015.
Ramya Nambeesan
Remya Nambeesan (born 24 March 1986) is an Indian actress, playback singer and dancer, who primarily works in Malayalam cinema. She started her career as an actress through the 2000 film '' Sayahnam''. She has acted in more than 65 films includ ...
was cast as Revathy, an ordinary homemaker, wife of Siddharth, played by Murali.
Muthumani
Muthumani Somasundaran is an Indian actress who mainly works in Malayalam films. She made her cinematic debut through the Malayalam film ''Rasathanthram'' directed by Sathyan Anthikkad's in 2006.
Early life and education
Muthumani was born in ...
plays Suhara who hails from a rich family in
Malappuram
Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of including the surrounding suburban areas. The first municipality in the district formed in 1970, Malappuram serves as the administrative headquarter ...
. Suhara aspired to become a doctor but was married too early to a doctor. She speaks in Malappuram dialect throughout the film.
Joju George
Joseph George, better known as Joju George (born 22 October 1977) is an Indian actor, playback singer and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has acted in Malayalam films and worked on Tamil projects as well. In 2015, he won the ...
plays Rafeeq, who is from a modest background and married to Suhara, his dominating wife. Dinesh Prabhakar plays Benny Chacko, the once college rank holder who end up as an
auto rickshaw
An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many terms in various countries including auto, auto rickshaw, baby taxi, mototaxi, pigeon, jonnybee, bajaj ...
driver. Chinnu Kuruvila was cast in the role of Annie, a fashion designer, spouse to Jayasurya's Raghuram.
Saiju Kurup
Saiju Kurup (born 12 March 1979) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and occasionally in Tamil cinema. He is credited as Anirudh in Tamil movies. He debuted in ''Mayookham'' (2005) by Hariharan. As of June 2021, he h ...
portrayed Xavier, one of the college mates who is now a priest.
Filming
The filming began in January 2015 in
Guruvayoor
Guruvayur () is a municipal temple town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at ...
,
Thrissur
Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...
.
The entire film was shot in a single location, a waterside resort. The two-hour story which takes place within an evening-to-night time span was completely filmed inside the resort.
For the film, a house set was created on the banks of
Chettuva Backwater in Thrissur. The frontage was entirely built of glass. Including the wallpaper and accessories, all designing materials were imported from
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
, which cost nearly 50
lakh.
The entire film revolves around a re-union party and takes place inside the house. In the film, the house is owned by Siddharth, the character played by Murali Gopy; "he was a singer earlier and has classy tastes in everything. So the house as well as its interiors have been done up accordingly", says Bash Mohammed, who was also the architect of the resort. The filming progressed through February 2015 in the artificially made resort in Chettuvayal, Guruvayoor. The film was shot continuously for 16 17 days. The voices of the actors were recorded using
sync sound, which had only been used in a handful of Malayalam films before this.
The team completed filming in late February 2015.
Music
The
film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...
and soundtrack were composed by
Bijibal
Bijibal Maniyil is an Indian music composer and playback singer who works predominantly in Malayalam films, documentaries, short films and television commercials. He has composed for more than 150 feature films, several documentaries and televisi ...
, with the lyrics written by
Rafeeq Ahmed
Rafeeq Ahmed (born 17 December 1961) is a Malayalam poet, lyricist and novelist. He has won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry and is a five-time winner of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyrics. With more than 600 songs in his ...
.
# Ee Mizhikalil (Vivekanand)
Release
''Lukka Chuppi'' was released on 5 June 2015.
Reception
Critical response
''Lukka Chuppi'' opened to mostly positive reviews from critics, and earned praise for the performances, script and dialogues. The reviewer for
Sify
Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology company providing end-to-end ICT solutions including telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation in ...
commented: "At less than two hours, ''Lukka Chuppi'' can be a good entertainer, if you are not there for some heavy-duty drama. It has its moments for sure and can even remind you of your crushes and escapades from the past". The reviewer praised Bijibal's music, Pookutty's sound mixing and the performances, especially by Jayasurya, but criticized the film's title and "the never-ending drinking sessions and hasty climax".
Deepa Soman of ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, and praised the dialogues and the one-liners, but criticized the film's ending half, saying that some portions "get dramatic".
Deepa Gauri of the ''
Khaleej Times
''Khaleej Times'' is a daily English language newspaper published in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched on 16 April 1978, ''Khaleej Times'' is the UAE's longest-running English daily newspaper.
History and profile
A partnership between the U ...
'' said in an out of review article that the film is an "intelligently written and tautly made quirky tale".
Accolades
;Festival screenings
*
International Film Festival of India
*
New York Indian Film Festival
The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in New York City, and screens films relating to India, the Indian Diaspora, and the work of Indian filmmakers. The festival began in November 2001 and was foun ...
* Indian Panorama Film Festival
;
National Film Awards
*
Special Mention - Jayasurya
;
Kerala State Film Award
The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Ch ...
*
Special Jury Award - Jayasurya
*
Special Mention - Joju George
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 4760086
2015 films
2010s Malayalam-language films
Films set in universities and colleges
Indian buddy drama films
Films shot in Thrissur
2015 drama films