கொஞ்சம் சினிமா கொஞ்சம் பாப்கார்ன், - Molly Aunty Rocks

Revathy and Prithviraj in Molly Aunty Rocks.

vijaygeorge :The Hindu :9 Aug 2012


Ranjith Sankar’s Molly Aunty Rocks, starring Revathy in the lead, is the story of a middle-aged woman who gets into a battle of wills with a young, egoistical revenue officer played by Prithviraj.

There is no stopping Molly Aunty! This middle-aged woman, a no-nonsense bank clerk, who is not afraid of doing what she feels is right, is the protagonist of writer-director Ranjith Sankar's forthcoming film, Molly Aunty Rocks. Veteran actor Revathy plays the character in the film, the shooting of which is going on inside a bank at Sultanpet in Palakkad.

Prithviraj acts as Pranav, an egoistical Indian Revenue Service officer who enjoys throwing his weight around. “When Molly and Pranav meet it’s a clash of wills. They happen to lock horns after a particular incident and because of their egos both of them refuse to relent,” says Ranjith, who directed Passenger andArjunan Sakshi.

Molly was good in studies and soon after her graduation she got a job in a scheduled bank. She marries Benny (Lalu Alex), who belongs to an aristocratic family from Thrissur. After her marriage, she takes leave and goes to live in the United States with her husband and two daughters. Now, 20 years later, she comes back to Kerala and is posted at the bank’s Nemmara branch, near Palakkad. She lives alone and the locals find her a bit odd, especially because of her peculiar style of dressing. However, she is not one to be bothered about what society thinks, narrates Ranjith.

The scene being canned depicts the aftermath of a confrontation between Molly and Pranav. Sizzling with anger, Molly tries to get the last word in and tells Pranav that she will make him apologise for his actions. Sivaji Guruvayur, who plays the bank manager, tries to pacify them.

Says Ranjith: “I had approached Revathy for a role in Mayflower but she was not too keen on doing what she called ‘stereotyped’ roles. Then I told her about Molly and she agreed to it instantly!”

While the crew is getting ready for the next shot, Revathy adds: “I think, it was perhaps for the first time in the last 10 years or so that I was this intrigued by a story; a story which focusses solely on a middle-aged woman; a story that was not about her husband, children or family issues but about her own life and career. Molly is a character I could relate to and there are many like her around us. She lives by certain principles, which she believes is right but is not one to impose it on others.”

Prithviraj also seems to be impressed by the storyline of the film. “Molly Aunty Rocks is the story of this middle-aged woman and a young man, but it is not a love story. Pranav revels in the power and authority that comes with his job and Molly Aunty is a person who instinctively questions it. This is a light-hearted film that has been told in a new way. It’s really quite different from the usual pattern where a film with a middle-aged woman as a protagonist would rarely be about herself but would be about the people related to her.”

KPAC Lalitha dons a significant role in the film and stars as Molly’s snooty mother-in-law, who has always thought that her son married below him.

Molly Aunty Rocks, produced under the banner of Dreams N’ Beyond, is set to hit screens in September. Cinematographer is Sujith Vasudev and the music director is Anand Madhusoodhanan. Stills are by Hari Tirumala.