Exploring dreams and realities with writer of Sunday Holiday, Kiran VS
- 24 Jul 2017
- Sunaya
- Features
If you really want it, you can have it all!
I have honestly never met someone as punctual as Kiran VS, one of the writers of the movie Sunday Holiday, whom I met for an interview at Oberon Mall. The Aparna Balamurali-Asif Ali starrer, along with actors like Sreenivasan, Siddique, Lal Jose, Asha Sharath, Shruthi Ramachandran and Dharmajan playing pivotal roles, is doing well ever since it hit the screen. Directed by Jis Joy, this one is a complete family entertainer. Kiran VS is a humble, down to earth man who, like all of us, also had dreams of being a part of the film industry. Working in KSFE, he finally achieved his dream by writing the story for Sunday Holiday! Here’s how the conversation went.
How do you feel about the movie doing so well?
The movie is doing well and I am happy about it. I feel the main reason for the movie to do well, to be accepted by the audience is because it has a nostalgic feel to it. No matter how advanced we are, we still enjoy our traditions and there is a sense of nostalgia among us. There’s also a reason that there’s only good that’s being spoken about throughout this movie. And it is something that everyone can accept and relate with.
How did the idea for this story come to you?
There are two characters in the movie, of Sreenivasan’s & Asif Ali’s. The character Sreenivasan plays is that of a teacher and Asif Ali plays the role of a salesman. I wanted to teach after I completed my Masters, and I taught a lot of kids. I believe movies are a platform to convey a lot of things to a lot of people. So, Sreenivasan’s role was kind of what I wanted to do in life. My co-writer who goes by the name Urasu was a salesman back in his days and that’s where the idea for Asif Ali’s character came into place. What runs the story is not something that’s made up for commercial values, it’s bits and pieces from everyone’s life. There’s a lot of life in the movie. Even the medical shop scene actually happened. But yes, the climax of the movie didn’t really happen, it was made up from a commercial point of view, which I think was necessary.
How was Jis Joy roped into the movie?
This story was actually completed about two years ago. Like every newcomer to the industry, there was a bit of a struggle involved. We were in a dilemma over who to approach after we had finished working on the story. It was then that a friend of mine named Arun told me that Jis Joy was his classmate, so it seemed like a good idea to approach him. It was when he’d just directed Bicycle Thieves and was a hit director. That was the time when he was receiving a lot of scripts and for him, at that time, our script was just one among the lot. Too much of anything can be harmful, they say, and I think that’s the same with movie stories also. Jis had told us he’d go through the script and get back to us. I knew he’s a very busy man. We waited for almost 6 months before I gave him a call and asked him if I could have it back if he wasn’t really into it. Though I expected him to say he’ll need a few more days and that he’d read the script by then, the words that came out of him were quite the opposite, and he asked me to come and collect it that evening. Dejected, I told Urasu about the situation. It was later in the same day that I get the life changing call from Jis who said he read the script and he loved it and wants to make a movie out of it.
How far has your original story been taken into the movie?
The story is still very original to the script, but the story always belongs to the director. Jis has around 12 years of experience in the industry while I barely even had 12 months of experience. At that point, any input or feedback was appreciated from someone who’s got a lot of experience. We all wanted the same thing, which was that the end result had to be good. It is completely our story. Just that, since I’m not a pro at writing stories- this being my first one- the initial story had to be tweaked a bit to make it a bit more commercially appealing. Jis helped make the changes in the story to make sure there was some commercial value in the story, like the climax.
Experienced actors cum directors like Sreenivasan and Lal Jose have been a part of this movie. Did working with them help improve your story?
I was humbled by the fact that these big names in the industry like Lal Jose, Sreenivasan and Asha Sharath told me the only reason they agreed to the movie is because they loved the story. It has a life, and the minute they heard the story, they committed to the film. It didn’t matter to them that I was new to the industry, all that mattered was that the story had life to it and they were all glad to be a part of the movie. That meant a lot to me. It’s inspiration and a blessing to me, because what I know of and what I can write is not something grand. It’s of things that I have seen around me while growing up and I grew up in a very normal, humble environment. If the public doesn’t accept this, we would definitely think about writing another story, but with God’s grace the movie is doing well. I was quite insistent that the movie should be something that a family can go watch and have a good time. No vulgar scenes or languages, nothing the ‘new generation’ is used to now. Thankfully Jis Joy also wanted the same.
What are your plans for the future?
I am now working on two projects, which needs a few tweaks here and there. I haven’t really approached anyone with the story, I am waiting for the right time. One story is a very different story, one that a writer faces a huge challenge in putting across the words to make sense. But it is something that based right out of where we live. The other story is not this challenging, it is a complete family based script.
Text: Devika V Menon Images: Kiran VS
