Ithihasa

Plot

The story, set in Kochi is about the body swapping of a petty thief (Alvy) and a conservative software professional (Janaki). The film starts with Vikki (balu varghese) getting caught in front of K. Sebastian(sunil sukahada) leading to Alvy (shine Chacko) which they get out easily. The movie shifts to 2 other robbers getting caught in front of K. Sebastian but leaves their robbed item. Alvy & vikki finds it and sees 2 Diamond rings. Thinking of selling it turns out to be a priceless artifact which will value up to Rs.250. Alvy throws one ring which comes in the hand of a small boy. In another party of the Kochi, Janaki (Anusree) conservative software professional goes to a shopping centre and wins a game & gets a price & in that price is that ring which that boy got by losing I the mall. That night both of them try on the ring & next day they finds out that they have switched bodies i.e. Janaki became Alvy with Janaki's mind and Alvy became Janaki with Alvy's mind. Janaki's friends try to find a cure for this but everything turns out to be medical. Alvy and vikki enjoys their day & Janaki & her friends enjoys their day when both of them comes face to face. The next day Janaki's mother & grandmother arrive at her home to see her & they bring Alvy to impersonate as Janaki. Gradually they fall in love with each other. One day they get a call saying that they can get help from a librarian(Joy Matthew). They reveal their situation and he asks them to think about anything that happened to them in last 15 days. They reveal that they got a ring as a gift. Janaki(in Alvy's body) show the picture of the ring. The historian reveals that the ring swaps the bodies and they have to change within 15 days i.e. they have to change today before the sunset or they will be like this forever. Both of them finds the rind but before putting it on Janaki (in Alvy's body) gets kidnapped by some Hindi speaking guys. Alvy (in Janaki's body) comes to beat them up but the bad guys overpowers her. Vikki pickpockets the ring from the leader and gives it to both of them. They put on the ring and switch back their bodies i.e. Janaki in Janaki's body and Alvy in Alvy's body and fights them while vikki calls the police and arrests them. In the post credits scene the 2 robbers who stole the ring from the museum steals it again but tries it on just swap bodies with each other.

Cast

Production

The film marked the directorial debut of Binu S. Kalady, a wedding photographer who also has a couple of ad films to his credit. Most of the crew members also did not have any experience in cinema. Binu says, "All we had was optimism. We were a bunch of photographers whose only association with cinema was as an audience. But, I had unbridled passion for movies and that’s how I decided to do a movie. I spent almost a year on another project, but couldn’t get a producer. Then my friends suggested I come up with a more cost-effective project so that we could pump in the money ourselves. That’s when I zeroed in on Ithihasa."

The film centers on body swapping, a theme that has been explored earlier in many films. The director says: "This thread has been explored earlier in Hollywood, as in It’s a Boy Girl Thing. Another film featuring a story on body swapping was Freaky Friday. We used this thread to develop into a story suited for the Indian audience." According to some reviewers, the film is loosely based on the 2002 Hollywood film The Hot Chick.

Binu said in an interview that actors and actresses whom he initially approached rejected the script saying the story was too unbelievable. Later he signed Shine Tom Chacko and Anusree as the lead pair. Binu had interacted with Shine Tom Chacko earlier and was confident he could do the lead character. But even the crew themselves were apprehensive about his choice of actress, Anusree. However, Binu was convinced "though she herself wasn't". For Shine Tom Chacko, who has worked in 15 films, Ithihasa was the first in a lead role. He says: "The director had approached me for a short film, but the project did not take off due to some reason. He had narrated the thread of Ithihasa then. There is a Hollywood film, The Hot Chick, with a similar storyline; Binu was confident about the subject and so I agreed to do it." Recalling the efforts that went into be the character, Shine said in an interview that playing a woman was quite challenging but being a keen observer of women from childhood helped him to become the character effortlessly. The film was made with a minimal budget of ₹2.5 crore (US$390,000).

Critical

The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences. The Hindu wrote: "this small film does entertain in parts and is a better watch than the ones coming branded as ‘comedy’." The Times of India rated the film 3/5 and said, "the director has done a decent job and the film, with all its absurdity, makes for a cute, light-hearted entertainer." Rediff.com gave 2.5/5 rating and said, "The storyline sounds simple and thin but the way it is presented makes Ithihasa worth watching." Sify.com gave the verdict as "watchable" and said, "Ithihasa is far from perfect but this one is a genuine attempt from a bunch of newcomers." Nowrunning.com rated the film 2.5/5 and wrote: "'Ithihasa' may not surprise or leave you awestruck. It is a simple humorous tale with the infusion of a bit of fantasy."

Box office

Ithihasa turned out to be a sleeper hit, and was lauded as one of the best comedies in the recent times. The DVD of the film was released on the first week of December. It collected ₹4.35 crore (US$680,000) in 52 days of its release, turning out to be one of the highest-grossing film in Malayalam in 2014.

Soundtrack

All lyrics written by B. K. Harinarayanan, all music composed by Deepak Dev. Music released on East Coast. The soundtrack received positive reviews. The Times of India wrote: "Blending melody and peppiness with smooth lyrics, composer Deepak Dev and lyricist Harinarayanan dish out a standard album and it makes for a pleasant listen. Itihasa has three songs, which are catchy and hummable."