When Suresh Gopi became a psychiatrist

Harikumar, who earlier directed critically acclaimed and well accepted films like Sukrutham, Udyanapalakan, Jalakam, Aambal Poovu, Ayanam and Paranju Theeratha Visheshangal is coming out with his latest Malayalam film, Sadgamaya.

Suresh Gopi plays a psychiatrist and the story is about his relationship with a patient, played by Navya Nair. Harikumar says that he is narrating a realistic story.

Suresh Gopi plays Dr Ravi Varman who is portrayed as an eccentric person with peculiar mannerisms and an unkempt appearance. He adopts a totally different approach to his patients.

According to Navya, "Yamuna, my character in Sadgamaya, has some psychiatric issues and she is taken to Dr Ravi Varman."

She feels that such challenging characters happen rarely and she is approaching it as a challenge. "Of course, I haven't done much homework before doing the role but the mannerisms of someone whom I have known for quite a long time has influenced me. Besides, the director was really clear about what he wanted from me," she says.

Shwetha Menon plays the psychiatrist's wife who lives with him in an isolated house in a hill station.

Veteran actor Thilakan plays an important role as a senior doctor and Ravi Varman's guru. Jagathy Sreekumar plays a confidant of the psychiatrist. P Sreekumar and Ambika play Navya's parents.

"The story of Sadgamaya has been developed from a rather small thread, but it has been scripted in such a way that curiosity is aroused in the minds of the viewer. The audience can only watch it with a heavy heart, just like some of my earlier films like Sukrutham, for instance," says Harikumar.

He continues, "Though this is mainstream cinema, the so-called masala ingredients have been generally avoided and we are trying to impart freshness to the theme. At a certain point of time, the narrative takes a fantasy turn and a vulture has been used to denote the complex nature of the human mind."

Sadgamaya, produced under the banner of Mandar Creations has been shot in parts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Peerumedu.

Shatrughnan has written the screenplay and dialogues based on Harikumar's story.

Sunny Joseph cranks the camera and M Jayachandran composes the music.