It was a coup of sorts for director Sumathy Ram to have the best of talents in the industry for her first film, Viswathulasi.

Sumathy had no connection with films till date, and was not even an avid film fan. An M Phil in English Literature, she wrote a poem first, then songs and thereafter, a film script. Flying down to India from her home in Houston, she sent the script to Nandita Das. The script impressed the actress and she agreed to do the film.

The story is about two lovers, Viswam and Thulasi who were torn apart in their youth but meet in the autumn of their lives.

The film needed a powerful male lead who would look like the son of a Namboodiri woman and a Tamil zamindar. Mammootty was given the script. The actor, who is very particular about the story and the director of every film he accepts, agreed to star in it.

Siva, the third important character is played by Manoj K Jayan, and Sukumari is the Malayali mother of Viswam.

Composers M S Viswanathan and Ilayaraja come together after a long gap with this film. Ilayaraja, who has done the re-recording has also written the lyrics of two songs.

Most of the film was shot in a 200-year-old Mana (the traditional house of Namboodiri landlords in Kerala) at Ottappalam in Kerala.

Text: Shobha Warrier