Scripting a memorable journey

Serin Thankam Sam

Leaving behind an accomplished career in law, Sachy (KR Sachidanandan) entered the Malayalam film Industry as a screenwriter. The day on which he quit the profession he had argued for an accused in a case that garnered a lot of media attention and he had managed to get the sentence reduced from double life term to one life term. For a lawyer this is a high point in his career. But Sachy had already made up his mind to enter the world of cinema.

Sachy was active in theatre during his school and college days. He was also a part of the Film Society Movement. He wanted to study at the Film Institute in Pune, but circumstances weren’t favourable for him

A majority of his films were box office hits but commercial film was never on his mind. He wished to collaborate with a producer who wouldn’t worry about getting back his investment.

Along with Sethu, Sachy penned movies such as Chocolate, Robinhood, Makeupman, Seniors and Doubles.

It was during his practice at the High Court that he got acquainted with Sethu. The duo would spend their leisure time and free evenings discussing scripts and movies. They commenced their journey with Chocolate in 2007. The film, starring Prithviraj, garnered attention for its unusual campus story about a boy studying in a women’s college.

However, the hit duo parted ways in 2011. They had said they were breaking up because their view and perspective of cinema gradually differed. Sachy then went solo and penned movies such as Run Baby Run, Chettayees, ‘Ramleela’, ‘Sherlock Toms’ and ‘Driving Licence’.

The narrative structure of Sachy’s film leaves the audience wondering, for whom they root for – the hero or the villain, till the end. That is what he applied in two of his last films ‘Ayyappanum Koshyum’ and ‘Driving License’, showing that nobody is extremely good or evil and beautifully portrayed the inner conflicts of the characters. Bollywood actor John Abraham is set to produce the remake of ‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum’.

He had several projects under consideration including a Dulquer Salmaan movie and another one set in the backdrop of Emergency. Before the curtains went down on his memorable life journey, he had donated his eyes,  as a final act of compassion.