I rewrote the script 26 times: J P Thuminad

J P Thuminad’s debut feature ‘Su from So’ has been creating waves among movie buffs. Up until now, he was fondly known as Putti’s husband, Deepak, from ‘Sapta Sagaradaache Ello’. According to a report shared by the makers of his latest film on Friday, more than 774.88K tickets were booked in the last seven days on Bookmyshow alone. 

Set in a picturesque village in coastal Karnataka, the comedy drama has won over viewers with its situational comedy and subtle commentary. 

In a conversation with Showtime, J P talks about the many real life influences that led to writing the movie. 

Excerpts: 

What inspired you to write this comedy?

I’ve been doing theatre for about 14 years. Comedy was an important genre in theatre — 70% of the artistes had to take comedy and the other 30%, drama. I’ve written about 13 plays, most of them are comedies. When it came to cinema as well, I wanted to explore comedy. 

Using such ordinary characters, you have made a well-crafted film. A lot of effort seems to have gone into the film’s writing…

When I initially discussed the storyline with Raj B Shetty, he was quick to name it ‘Sulochana from Someshwara’. Now that Someshwara was established in the title, I had to find ways to connect it to the village where the story actually begins. I started working on the film’s script in 2019, then came the pandemic. I rewrote the script 26 times since then. 

Are the characters inspired by real life?

Some are imagined, others are characters I have observed since childhood in my village. Their eccentricities and distinguished traits made them stand out. I connected these characters to the main plot — what happens when one pokes their nose in somebody else’s life, and the consequences of being egotistical. I wanted such characters to support my idea. 

The character arc of Ravi Anna is very interesting…

There is actually someone called Ravi Anna in my village. From my childhood, Ravi Anna has been a very important figure in the village. He was very supportive and came to everybody’s help. If children didn’t obey their parents, they would use his name to discipline them. 

I didn’t know anything about his past. But there were some stories about why and how he was what he was. I wanted his character to be a part of my story. As I continuously worked with the character, I forgot to change the name. And we let it be. 

Most of the actors in the film are from Mangaluru except Sandhya Arekere and she is fabulous. How did you decide on the role?

Getting the casting right was very important to me. I would make notes from interviews of popular directors. Everyone reiterated that ‘a perfect casting is half the battle won’. For Ravi Anna’s character, I was looking for someone who looked both childlike and brawny, that’s how I picked Shaneel Gautham. 

I had watched Sandhya Arekere in ‘Toby’. There was something in her face that I liked. At the same time, I was also looking for an actor for Bhaanu’s role. Slowly, at some point, she started looking like Bhaanu to me. 

A very young musician has composed the film’s score.

I used to listen to Sumedh K’s music on Spotify and YouTube. I’ve been a big fan of the 21-year-old. His sound is very fresh and I thought it would be a good fit for the film. 

How did you design Raj B Shetty’s character?

Guruji’s character was designed based on fake godmen. We didn’t have to go looking for one, there are many around us. Most of these fake gurujis are usually decked up from top to bottom in gaudy attires. 

While writing the characters, I didn’t have any actors in mind. Even when I wrote Ashoka’s character, I didn’t know I would end up playing the role. So when Raj came on board, I didn’t change any dialogue for him. He elevated the character through his performance. 

Did you expect the movie to be such a big hit? 

It still doesn’t feel real. I expected a few shows in Mangaluru so that artistes’ families could watch. Theatres have been running empty for a long time and I was worried. But after the premiere shows, I’m quite overwhelmed by the response.