It is a campus film, but the main names in the cast are all senior actors like Balachandra Menon, Siddique, Saikumar, Nedumudi Venu, Janardhanan, Vijayaraghavan etc. A college film should naturally have youngsters in prominent roles. How come it is different here?
That is the difference. But this doesn’t mean that it is a college where senior guys study. It is a very youthful college campus with young, very young students. We have lots of youngsters too in the cast, some of them popular actors and some debutantes. College Kumaran is going to be a campus film with a difference.

You spoke about the hero being someone who has a strong bond of attachment with the campus. We have seen Mohanlal playing such a character years back in Sarvakalasala. Is it on the same lines?
No, not at all. College Kumaran is entirely different. The character played by him is going to be entirely different compared to Sarvakalasala.

Vimala is the heroine in this film. How would you rate her as an actor? And why did you choose her for the role?
Vimala is playing the role of an English lecturer named Madhavi. Vimala, as you know very well, is very active in Malayalam cinema, doing all kinds of roles. The main thing is that she has a presence that makes her fit in as the suitable heroine to superstars. Moreover most of our actors are focussing on Tamil and other languages and in this situation, we do have to go in for someone like Vimala, who is a non-Malayali. She has done a brilliant job. A hard-working actor who strives to improve with every scene she does, that’s what Vimala is.

For a campus caper, music and romance are important.

There’s not much music or romance.
The songs are very different and I am sure the film as well as its music and songs would turn out to be appealing.

What are your expectations about the response the film would elicit?
I am sure it would appeal to everyone. The film has all those ingredients that would be liked by every section of the audience. And for die-hard fans of Mohanlal, the film is going to be a real treat.