Sandra Thomas :MEET M'WOOD'S EKTA

MEET M'WOOD'S EKTA

Sandra Thomas, producer of Friday 11.11.11 Alappuzha, has three other films up her sleeve. She talks about the challenges of being a woman producer...

Manu Vipin

Unlike Bollywood, which can boost of many successful women producers, Mollywood has only now found itself its woman producer. Sandra Thomas, the producer of Friday 11.11.11 Alappuzha, starring Fahadh Faasil and Ann Augustine, seems to have made an entry with a bang — so much so that she has three other movies under her wing already.
"It is my overconfidence that turned me into a producer," says Sandra, who began her career when she set up her ad agency. "During the course of my work I met many people from the Malayalam film industry, which eventually paved my way into production," she says and adds that film production is indeed a tight rope walk.
"This is one field where one has to manage people from different stratas of society, and it is not easy. Things get even more complicated as I am a woman," says the young producer.
Sandra says, she had decided on yet another project before Friday… titled Harameese, which was to be shot extensively in Dubai. "However, Harameese got delayed. As luck would have it, on the same day I happened to hear Najeem Koya's script and I loved it," explains Sandra. That director Lijin Jose, sciptwriter Najeem and Sandra are good friends, helped make things fall into place quickly.
Friday… is quite a challenge for Sandra as the movie brings together 50 artists from Mollywood. "The fact that the shoot is happening entirely outdoors is not helping matters either," says Sandra.
Without mentioning the second project, Sandra says Harameese will be their third project. It will again see the Friday… team coming together. "The fourth is a yet to be titled movie which is going to have a big star cast. That is all I can reveal now," she says.
manu.vipin@timesgroup.com

ROLE CALL: Fahadh Faasil; (above) Sandra Thomas