Novel
`Novel' is an important film in many respects. As its lead player Jayaram needs a hit badly for his own survival in commercial Malayalam cinema and this being his only release in the last five months, the actor's fans are very much awaiting this movie's fortunes at the Box Office.
Jayaram's last release Suryan was an outright failure. More over this film is the launch vehicle of popular organizer of stage shows and album maker, East Coast Vijayan, into films. The movie is produced, written and directed by him in his own banner. Moreover, Sada, of Jayam and more famous through `Anniyan', is making her foray into Mollywood cinema through 'Novel'. As much of our actresses are hardly finding time to be with other South Indian ventures, Sada is quite a different attempt and she expressed much of her satisfaction working with the crew and looks forward to secure a prominent place in Malayalam cinema. The film which is conceived as a musical love story is all set to reach the theaters this month.
The film develops through the life of Sethunath - a successful businessman and writer. Sethu is presently on the limelight following his new book 'Swantham' which has earned a lot of international awards and appreciations from masses and critics alike. Even as he is surrounded by journalists who are to seek the details about the backdrops and storyline of the novel, Sethu prefers to keep silent. As he never believed in these kind of ceremonial promotions, he restrained even from attending functions that were organized to congratulate him.
After long persuasions, Sethu accepts to be on a celebration organized at an orphanage, only due to the fact that he was also the product of this same orphan's asylum. And here, he turns nostalgic and starts speaking up about the creative urge that forced him to write such a rewarding novelettes. Very soon, the audience comes to know that through the novel he was narrating his own love story, that too with a playback singer Priyanandini (Sada) who starts falling slowly in love with Sethunath when she comes to do a jingle for one of his products. Her beautiful voice enchants Sethu and she is appointed for singing for his company. Amidst one of her singing assignments, she accidentally finds a few scribbled papers bunch and on finding that they were novels written by her boss, she sends them for publication. The film goes on to narrate how the theme of the novel intermingles with the life of the novelist, to provide an enchanting work to literature, and how this presentations changes the life of its creater. ''The film is for those people who still keep a love in a corner of their hearts'', says the director East Coast Vijayan
Jayaram appears in the movie as Sethunath while Sada debuts playing Priya Nandhini. In able support in the other casts are Jagathy, Saju Kodiyan, Devan, Saiju, Ganesh, Anoop Shivasevan, Indrans, Jagannatha Varma, Anitha Surendran, Sharika, and Lakshmi Ramakrishanan.
The screenplay and dialogues of the film are by Ashok Sasi while Azhagappan who was behind last years notable films is back, wielding the camera for the film .The other high lights of the film is the six songs, set to music by M Jayachandran and Umbayee, of which five are rendered by 'Ganagandharvan' K J Yesudas.
The film which was mostly shot in and around the capital city also have a few scenes shot at Kuala Lumpur including the climax song. `Novel' will grace the theaters as one of the first films of 2008.