Nearly 20 years after its release, ‘Notebook’ continues to enjoy a special place among Malayalam cinema lovers. The Rosshan Andrrews directorial is widely regarded as one of the industry’s finest campus dramas. However, according to screenwriter Sanjay, the film’s theatrical journey began on a disappointing note.Speaking on the Portrayals by Gaddafi podcast, the writer looked back at the unexpected audience response on the opening day and admitted that he believed the film was heading towards failure.
‘You couldn’t even hear the dialogues’
Recalling the film’s first screening, Sanjay said the audience’s reaction inside the theatre left the team shocked. According to him, the booing was so loud that the dialogues became almost impossible to hear.He said, “On the day ‘Notebook’ was released, the audience booed loudly. It was so intense that you couldn’t even hear a single dialogue in the theatre. During the scene where the mango is mentioned, the booing just wouldn’t stop. We had no idea why it was happening. Not just one of our films, you probably haven’t seen any film outside ours receive that level of booing.”“Back then, reviews came mainly through newspapers. While a few reviews were positive, many were negative. After watching the audience’s reaction in the theatre on the day of release, I was convinced the film would become a huge failure. It was the beginning of our journey in cinema, and we had to go through that kind of situation.”The experience, he revealed, made him believe that the film’s run at the box office would be short-lived.
A turning point after three days
Despite the discouraging start, Sanjay said the mood changed within a few days. He and director Rosshan Andrrews were staying near Kavitha Theatre in Ernakulam during the film’s release and closely observed audience reactions.He recalled, “But within a few days, things started changing. Rosshan and I were staying near Kavitha Theatre in Ernakulam at the time. From there, we could see people coming out after watching the film. Even while reports were saying the film was a failure, on the third day after release, a group of youngsters came out after the second show and spotted us. They looked at us and gave us a thumbs-up. That was the moment we felt the film wasn’t going to fail. They were our target audience. It was then we realised the film would survive.”According to Sanjay, that simple gesture from a group of young viewers gave the team confidence that the film had found its audience.
A campus drama that found lasting appreciation
Released in 2006, ‘Notebook’ was directed by Rosshan Andrrews and written by Bobby-Sanjay. The story is set in a boarding school and follows three students as they navigate friendship, adolescence, love and life-altering circumstances.The film also addressed teenage pregnancy which was a theme that was rarely explored in mainstream Malayalam cinema at the time.‘Notebook’ featured Maria Roy, Roma Asrani, and Parvathy Thiruvothu in the lead roles. Skanda Ashok and Suresh Gopi also played important characters.
