Paresh C Palicha in Kochi
Enthusiasm is the middle name of director V K Prakash, the prolific filmmaker who jumps genres, languages and even the techniques of storytelling.
This alumnus of the School of Drama, Thrissur, has directed Trivandrum Lodge with the same team of writer-actor Anoop Menon and Jayasurya that gave us Beautiful.
In a freewheeling chat, the filmmaker discusses his new film
How did Trivandrum Lodge happen?
Trivandrum Lodge happened because we all wanted to work together again after Beautiful.
We exchanged lots of ideas and thoughts, and I and Anoop felt comfortable with this concept. Then it just kept evolving. It was an interesting experience.
The story of this film is about love, lust and longing, if I have to summarise it.
'I had to pressurise Jayachandran to be a part of this film'
Nothing like that. We have made this film with the same kind of intensity, genuineness and honesty as we made Beautiful.
Now, we just hope people like it and receive it the same way they received Beautiful, or even better.
You have got some interesting names in your supporting cast like singer P Jayachandran and writer-director P Balachandran (of Ivan Megharoopan fame)...
Trivandrum Lodge has an interesting plot; it doesn't follow the conventional method of storytelling with a beginning, middle and an end. Here the story moves from character to character, so we needed people who suited the role to a T.
I had to pressurise Jayachandran to be a part of this film as he had not faced the camera after Nakhakshathangal.
As for Baletten (P Balachandran), we go back a long way as we were together in the School of Drama, Thrissur as students.
He wrote the screenplay of my first film Punaradhivasam and even appeared in Beautiful as the lawyer. It was a brief role. Here he has got a bigger role.
'I had never worked without a bound script'
Yes, coming from an advertising background I had never worked without a bound script. So, it took a while for me to adjust to the pattern.
Now I am accustomed to it. That is why we decided to follow the same style of working in Trivandrum Lodge.
It is very interesting to see a subject evolve as you go along. That doesn't mean that I'll never work with a bound script ever again.
Given a choice which style do you prefer?
I think it depends on the subject and the comfort level I share with the writer. For a subject like Punaradhivasam, I would like to go with a bound script and for Beautiful or a Trivandrum Lodge I'd love to see how they evolve on the go.
'I un-direct my actors'
What is your equation with the actors? It seems like Jayasurya gives his best in your films and you like to work with him.
My approach to actors is like how a sculptor sees a sto#8800 he sees a form in it and chips off whatever is unnecessary.
I 'un-direct' actors. I just tell them what I don't need from them.
When Jayasurya came onto my sets for the first time for Positive, he looked lost because I had cast him as a police officer investigating a murder. Nobody had cast him in a serious role before that.
I just told him to think as someone who has played only golf and no other game and perform.
G Sankara Pillai, my teacher in drama school used to say, don't show your actors what to do otherwise they just imitate you. He used to say, a director should be able to direct without getting up from his chair.
What is your take on New Wave cinema?
New Wave is a wrong connotation. If we see the works of our masters like Hariharan, K G George, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and others, they did bold and experimental films.
We came into this field seeing their work. What we are doing today is not even one-third of what they have done.
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