When a superstar driven movie hits the screen, it already has many advantages to it. There is the name recognition which brings in the initials. Superstar movies usually have the best off screen talent working with them and then there are die hard fans who don’t care if the movie has a script or not.
Right now both the superstars are doing extremely well in their careers. Mammotty and Mohanlal had a list of hit movies this year which showed their versatility once again. In such a time for a movie with young actors to do well is an uphill battle. But director Lal Jose has shown that such a battle can be fought and won.
The trick is to concentrate on the script, a oft forgotten component in today’s movies. If you look at successful movies with non-superstars like Sargam and Nakshakshathangal, you can see that besides an excellent story, they also had beautiful dialogue and great direction.
Says Lal Jose: “I chose this script as it was daring and had some freshness about it. A dual love story and a murder mystery told against a campus background were sure to click with the audience.”
Lal Jose has proved once again that it is not stars but the novelty in the story that matters most in the making of a blockbuster. James Albert says that he had approached Lal Jose with a complete script of `Classmates,’ written according to the sequence of the scenes. Initially Jose was reluctant to listen to the story but once Albert started the narration, he was truly hooked.
Adds James, “Some of the characters you see in the film are based on real-life people and that’s why the film appeals to everyone. Student politics, campus romance and canteen jokes added to the right flavour.”
Indrajith who played Pious the campus Casanova points out, “The innovative script and presentation worked and my character was something which I had not done so far.”
Kavya says, “The suspense element in the script and the natural way that we all performed made the film a super hit.”[Classmates,' a trendsetter]
This movie’s success is a lesson for all film makers. What matters is the story and the refreshing style of presentation. We really don’t care if the movie is released on American Independence Day or if the lead actors are making idiots of themselves in the streets of Thailand or Switzerland. Instead of wasting money on such cosmetic embellishments, our advice is to give that money to the script writer.
In an industry where the script is written on the sets, where a complete bound script is an aberration instead of practice, and where scripts and stories written with personalities and mannerisms in mind, here’s one director who had the courage and conviction to take the path less traveled. We hope this path will be traveled more often and movies like Classmates is not an exception but a regularity. And that would be the time when we would recognize the real superstars of cinema – the script and the director.
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[...] Instead of relying on Ramzan, Onam, Christmas, American Independence Day, and Achuthanandan’s birthday for releases there is a less stressful way. Get a good story and make a good movie. For example, look at Classmates. It is running to packed houses even during Ramzan time. At the box office, `Classmates’ is rocking. From 47 screens in 21 days, the film is rumoured to have got a distributors’ share of Rs. 2.10 crore, a record in Kerala. The film is poised to complete 100 days in almost all releases stations as per indications. What has surprised the trade is that in spite of heavy rain and the beginning of `Noyambu’(Ramzan fast), particularly in Malabar, the film is rock steady at the box office [Classmates,’ a trendsetter] [...]
A beautiful movie, well carved out story. Kudos to lal jose and team. It was good to see indrajith in a subdued role to his sibling. Jayasurya showed his potential in the movie, I can see his rate going up in the malluwood charts. Great display of art by all!! Kudos once again.
classmates works due to all reasons….the story, screenplay, direction, gud editing, and acting. i think this’s one movie which hasn’t depended on its music to make it a hit, though it can boast of various chartbusters. it was interesting to see the different events weaved together, and presented in different viewpoints.