Jeethu Joseph is known as an excellent screenwriter as well as director. He always says that he is more a story-teller than a director. That might be the reason his films are remade into many Indian languages. Now the director has penned a screenplay for another director for the first time — for the movie Lakshyam which is performing well in the cinemas.
About what prompted him to pen for director Anzar Khan, Jeethu says, “I knew him since my debut film Detective.”
“He was working with some other films as an associate director. We became good friends and a few weeks before I started shooting Drishyam, he came to me and talked about a story on which he had already made a telefilm. He asked me to write a screenplay for his directorial. Impressed by the story and the telefilm, I decided to get on board.”
Jeethu says he did not feel any difference in penning script for another director. “All my films were filmed with a bound script and I am used with that pattern. That means I complete the screenplay days before we start the shoot. So when drafting a screenplay for Anzar, I did not feel anything different. As the basic story of the movie was that of Anzar, the process was a bit easier. I could complete the screenplay while doing Papanasam with Kamal Hassan sir.”
Jeethu has shifted the focus back to direction. “I have completed the first draft of the screenplay of my next directorial — which will have Pranav Mohanlal in the lead. As of now, I am not revealing any details of the film. All I can say is that it will be a good entertainer and be shot outside Kerala. Now I am all set to start the pre-production.”
With Lakshyam, Jeethu has made his debut as a producer. “Lakshyam was produced along with friends Joy Thomas Sakthikulangara and Teji Manalel. Joy is the producer of my Mummy and Me and Teji is my schoolmate. So when this project came, I discussed with them and in an unexpected moment, I too became a producer with them. It is a hectic job as long as you are part of the same project in the creative side.”
