Girish Kulkarni with Shyam Pushkaran during filming | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Thank you This may be Marathi actor Girish Kulkarni’s first Malayalam film, but he knows all the films written by Shyam Pushkaran and produced by Bhavana Studios. “I am a big fan of Malayalam cinema and his work. I love what he, Dileesh (Pothan) and Fahadh (Faasil) are doing for Malayalam cinema and the kind of films they make. This is what Umesh Kulkarni and I are trying to do for Marathi films.”
A call from a friend, director Geetu Mohandas, made him a part of the project. “He asked if I’d be interested in a movie his friends were making, and I said ‘Necki and Puch Puch‘ (Why seek permission for mercy?).” Curious about the process of these filmmakers, it was an opportunity for him to get a closer look at how Malayalam films are made. He follows a Mumbai cop investigating a crime. plays a character who has ties to Kerala.Written by Syam, the film about two ‘gold agents’ is directed by Shaheed Arafat and Prince Prabhakaran.
After starting his career in Marathi films, Girish’s first Hindi film was Anurag Kashyap’s Clumsy, Then came his role as wrestling coach Pramod Kadam Dangal and some others Fanney Khan And part pigtail part, Has also been a part of web series like sacred game, Sunflower And guilty mind, Girish won the National Award for Best Actor and Screenplay (2011) for the Marathi film Deul, He plays the multiple roles of writer, actor, director and producer of Marathi films.
describe the process of making Thank you Fun, he calls Siam ‘wonderful’. He says that the actors were given the freedom to indulge in the situation. “He was open to different creative ideas. After all, we are all trying to create magic on screen, which needs the energy that he brings to the set. It allows the actor to act, there is no restriction. It gives confidence and happiness to the actor.”
Girish Kulkarni in a scene from the film | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
As a writer, the process of making is a joyous ride and Girish admits to writing the script “from the point of view that it could have been done differently. But then ‘actor’s dedication’ happens and when that happens I focus on my work as an actor and everything falls into place. As an actor who is also a writer, you have to do that. If you don’t do that, it creates a dilemma.”
The many advantages and rewards of dedication are an understanding and appreciation of the writer’s point of view, being able to establish rapport with the director, access to another side of the story beyond what he has read, and most importantly, an insight into the writer’s process.
so did he do justice Thank you, and Shyam as a writer? “No!” he says laughing. He was impressed by the story and its nuances rooted in real life. Joji, Kumbalangi Nights, Ayyappanam Koshiyum… He names some Malayalam films that he has seen and enjoyed.
Girish draws parallels between Marathi and Malayalam cinema – “The homely atmosphere on the sets, the kind of stories we tell and the theatre-like process. Marathi cinema is known for solid stories drawn from life and life experiences. Our films There are also not huge budgets and there are some people like here who are trying to make meaningful cinema.
Cinema Literacy of Malayalam
The difference between the two industries is the level of cinema literacy. “It is more in Malayalam cinema, probably because of the film society movement. People have seen world cinema and they know the art of cinema more deeply. This helps filmmakers to explore new avenues and different types of cinema. Is.
One reason for this is the lack of infrastructure or more precisely fewer cinema theaters in Maharashtra. “People don’t have access to films, most of what they consume is through television. While going to movies is part of the culture in southern states, in Maharashtra watching plays is part of their ‘sanskriti poshan’. Even as things change, Marathi films are yet to do well commercially and this is because they are not consumed enough to be counted as ‘business’.
This helps him understand how filmmakers like Shyam Pushkaran and Dilish Pothan are making financially viable films telling real stories. “This will give filmmakers everywhere the confidence that they too can make movies like this!”
Thankam, also starring Biju Menon and Vineeth Sreenivasan, will hit the theaters on January 26