By C P Ravindran/Thiruvananthapuram

A Malayalam film, produced by a Doha-based hotelier, is making waves even before its release.
“Swapaanam (its English title is The Voiding of Soul), is my dream project,” the film’s producer, Horizon Group managing director M Rajan, told Gulf Times yesterday.
Directed by Shaji N Karun, the film scheduled for its general release in India on February 14.
“Shaji is the only Indian director to have had three of his films shown at Cannes consecutively and it has been a fantastic experience to work with him,” Rajan said.
Swapaanam, in which actor Jayaram plays a chenda (a percussion instrument) artiste, was the opening film of the Dubai International Film Festival in December last year.
“The reaction to the screening was overwhelming,” Rajan said. “Both critics and the lay audience enjoyed it thoroughly.”
Besides Dubai, the film has been screened at many other international film festivals  too ahead of its general release next week.
Rajan credited the film’s success to its artistes’ “dedication and commitment.”
Among the heavyweight talents behind the project besides Jayaram are classical dancers Kadambari and Lakshmi Gopalaswami, Siddique, Vineeth and Sajitha Madhathil. The film also stars Doha-based actress Meghna Gangadharan.
“The great thing about the film is that it could be seen and enjoyed at different levels,” Rajan said. “On one level, the film narrates the tragic relationship between a chenda artiste (Unni played by Jayaram) and a classical dancer (Nalini played by Kadambari). But at a deeper level, it is about genius and the gift of talent, which could also be a curse at times: talent, especially abundance of it, is a two-edged sword often,” he said.
“It was Jayaram who first contacted me about Swapaanam,” said Rajan whose previous films include Vadakkumnathan (the title role of which was played by Mohanlal), Nasrani (Mammutty) and Orma Mathram (Dileep). “When he narrated the story, I was immediately attracted to the project. It was so thrilling. I had to do it.”
It was not a run-of-the-mill story and that was its main appeal, Rajan said. “I only want to be associated with good and clean films which should contribute to the growth of the Indian cinema.”
Jayaram was especially fascinated by his character as he plays chenda in real life. “He knew the instrument well and the artistes who played it, their talents, challenges, their routine.”
The film’s original story was by Shaji, the director.
“I have great respect for Shaji and I am a great fan of his works like Piravi and Vanaprastham,” Rajan said.
Shaji considers Swapaanam as one of his best films.
Siddique, who plays a key role in Swapaanam, says the character is one of the most satisfying in his entire film career. “This is undoubtedly my best role so far and I will consider it extremely lucky if I get to play such a complex character once again.”
The Dubai film festival screening was attended by the director Shaji, Jayaram and his wife Parvathy, Siddique and Rajan and his wife Rajitha.
A special preview of the film in Thiruvananthapuram was attended by several leading writers and politicians. Kerala’s opposition leader, V S Achuthanandan, congratulated the film’s actors after the screening.
As the film release date approaches, Rajan, a long-time Doha resident, hopes viewers will also find it a fulfilling experience.