When Ratheena PT met Mammootty as a starstruck fan, little did she think she would be directing him in her debut film, Puzhu, which brings together Mammootty and Parvathy Thiruvothu for the first time. The star, however, encouraged Ratheena to follow her passion by working in cinema. Ratheena says she was not just content with making her directorial debut but somehow hoped it would star Mammootty.
Later, the filmmaker met Mammootty with a one-line story that the latter thought had potential. He put Ratheena in touch with Unda’s scenarist Harshad to work on the screenplay since Ratheena felt she might find it difficult to write with a toddler to look after. Harshad came up with a road movie, but the big-budget film did not take off due to the pandemic The trio thought of a plan B.
“That is when Harshad ikka (elder brother) suggested the story of Puzhu. I thought it was one of the most moving stories I had heard. When I sent it to Mammootty, he said he liked it too. We were back on track. That was how Puzhu evolved.”
