R.Sukumaran, though not a prolific filmmaker, has his own reputation in Malayalam cinema. He has made just two films, but they were enough to establish him as a filmmaker worth reckoning. Padamudra and Rajashilpi, both with Mohanlal in the lead, are still seen by film lovers in Kerala as memorable films, films that they would like to see again and again and cherish it in their memories. It’s after a long gap after Rajashilpi (which came out in 1992) that R.Sukumaran is directing a movie.
Yugapurushan, produced by AV Anoop under the banner of AVA Productions, is not a typical arty kind of movie, according to its makers. There are all those ingredients that go into the making of a commercial movie, including songs and comedy. The film has big names like Mammootty, Kalabhavan Mani, Siddique, Jagathy Sreekumar, Navya Nair with Tamil actor ‘Thalaivasal’ Vijay in the title role, that of Sree Narayana Guru.
The makers of Yugapurushan claim that since Sree Narayana Guru was someone who gave up the conventional kind of sanyas and came to the masses to serve them and their needs, such a film has utmost significance. R.Sukumaran had, as part of the research involved for the making of the film, read lots of books and biographies on Sree Narayana Guru and had also met and talked to lots and lots of people, interviewing many in the process. He seeks, in Yugapurushan, to dwell on the religious aspect of Sree Narayana Guru as well as on the saintliness in his demeanour.
Following the completion of two shooting schedules, Yugapurushan is all set to go on to the third and the final spell. It had indeed been arduous, creating sets of all those places- like Sivagiri, Aruvikkara, Chembazhanthy–associated with the guru. And it was also a great work putting together pieces from history and bringing together on screen the various famous personalities who lived at that time and had something to do with the guru. The film has as prime locations Ottapaalam, Kannur, Palakkad, Mysore, Sri Lanka etc.
Thus Mahatma Gandhi, Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Kumaranasan, Sahodaran Ayyappan, Mannath Padma-nabhan all come into the frame and that makes Yugapurushan stand out as something more than a movie. Its history recreated with all truthfulness.
It’s K.Krishnankutty, who does the art-direction and co-ordinates with director R.Sukumaran and cinematographer Ramachandra Babu in re-creating history. Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri writes the songs that are set to tune by Mohan Sithara.
Yugapurushan is thus taking form, as a tribute to one of the greatest personalities who ever lived in Kerala and influenced generations of people and whose teachings hold universal significance.
