Ithihasa

Ithihasa is a 2014 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy comedy film written by Aneesh Lee Ashok and directed by Binu Sadanandan. The film tells the story of body swapping between a conservative young software professional Janaki (Anusree) and an easy going young petty thief, Alvy (Shine Tom Chacko). The music was composed by Deepak Dev.
The film received positive reviews from critics. It turned out to be a sleeper hit and was especially praised for the humour. It is inspired from the 2002 Hollywood film "The Hot Chick"
Plot.
The story, set in Cochin is about the body swapping of a petty thief Alvy (Shine Tom Chacko) and a conservative software professional Janaki (Anusree). Alvy, a thief and his friend Vikki (Balu Varghese) come in possession of a pair of stolen magic rings. One of the rings is lost and makes its way to Janaki, who wins it in a game from a shopping centre. At night both try their respective rings. The next day they realize that they are in different bodies - Alvy wakes up in Janaki's body and vice versa. Janaki's friends try to find a cure for this but fails. Alvy and Vikki enjoy their days and Janaki and 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 historian (Joy Mathew).
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) shows a picture of the ring, and the historian reveals that the ring swaps the bodies of the wearers, and they have to change back within 15 days (today before the sunset being the last day) or they will be like this forever. Both of them find the rings, but before putting it on, Janaki (in Alvy's body) gets kidnapped by some men speaking Hindi. Alvy (in Janaki's body) comes to beat them up, but the bad guys overpower her. Vikki pickpockets the ring from the leader and gives it to the pair. They put on the rings and switch back their original bodies . Alvy fights the villains while Vikki calls the police, who arrive and arrest them. In the post credits scene, the 2 robbers who stole the rings from the museum steal them again, but this time they try them on and swap bodies with each other.
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 .
Music.
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."
Reception.
Critical response.
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 in 52 days of its release, turning out to be one of the highest-grossing film in Malayalam in 2014.