Cricket flick to pacify cross-border affairs

KERALA:

Noted Indian poet and musician Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri says his debut Malayalam movie Mazhavillinnattamvare, starring cricketer S Sreesanth, will soothe India-Pakistan relations.

“The passion for cricket transcends boundaries and I am certain that the film’s message is loud and clear that if two people have laptops, they can interact without the permission of any government, Namboothiri said. “The world is one family and after going through the rushes of the film, I am delighted to say that the message of the film would certainly ease the relations between Indian and Pakistan.”

Namboothiri is in talks with the Indian government to dub Mazhavillinnattamvare in Urdu. “I am quite positive I will be able to get it dubbed in Urdu and this is essentially meant for release in Pakistan,” added the acclaimed musician-turned-director who has written the lyrics for some 300 Malayalam films.

The star cast includes Abbas Hassan, a London-based popular Pakistani musician whose passion is cricket. The lead character is a Pakistan cricketer who arrives as a bowling coach at a cricket academy in Kerala searching for his roots. Initially, Pakistani fast-bowler Mohammed Asif was selected for the lead role, but he was dropped following allegations of match fixing.

Shooting for the film has been completed and only the post-production remains before it hits the theatres in August.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2011.