R Parthiban on ‘Irawin Nijal’: I am married to cinema and I need to treat him well

R Parthiban is still amazed by the bravery he did housefull (1999) went into production without a script. He had three cameras, a few hundred junior actors and a tight budget, considering it was a home production. Still, Parthiban says he felt like a king when he shot the film in Madurai.

Perhaps the seed for taking complete control of the film he was making – would have been sown around this time. Life has come full circle for Parthiban with his coming life erwin nizaliWhich has been conceived, directed, acted and edited by him.

Parthiban has so far conducted test screenings for over 1000 people, most of whom had positive things to say about the film. Still, the filmmaker is concerned about the reception on the first day, the first show. “I just want the audience to come in large numbers. It remains a dream,” says Parthiban, alluding to the fact that he is lifting weights erwin nizali on his shoulders. Edited interview excerpts:

Since ‘Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam’ (2014), you have been experimenting with the narrative form: ‘Oath Seruppu Size 7’ (2019) was a single-act film and ‘Iravin Nizhal’ is a single-shot film. What inspired this change?

I think it started before housefull and in puthiya pathai [directorial debut] In terms of the way the story is told. Whenever I gave my first film to the producers, they rejected it. puthiya pathai It broke a set of rules followed by mainstream cinema at the time.

This mataram [change] started from there, although there were tadumatram [slips] between. When you make the fourth film, you lose faith in the first film.

Sometimes I wonder who came up with these rules and formulas. Writer Sujata sir once said that there are 17 ways to write a screenplay but still it is possible for someone to come up with an 18th possibility. That’s what I was trying to do. I am not afraid of failures because I have got used to it. Since I don’t make much money from films, I am not interested in the commercial aspect.

Right now I am married to cinema and I need to treat her well. success of Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam Confirmed my belief that the audience is intelligent. I want to fulfill his intelligence, so I started doing experimental films. The problem with that is that the audience doesn’t get a movie like this right away. Othatha Seruppu Which has a limited shelf life as compared to a Vijay film.

But ‘Othatha Seruppu’ was warmly received, isn’t it?

People threatened to stop the screening during its theatrical performance. I had to personally talk to the theater owners and persuade them to do at least one show. Why should an artist be put in that position? Later, it was released on Netflix and got its audience. So, the reception got delayed. The reception was delayed. In the Telugu and Kannada industries, stars are voluntarily promoting the films of other stars. Unfortunately, we don’t have that culture here.

‘Irawin Nijal’ is the second film which is said to be ‘conceived and directed’ by Parthiban as opposed to ‘written and directed’.

i remember the direction housefull without script. while thoughts Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanami Iyakkam was about looking for a story. I turned a boring topic like a movie discussion into an interesting story.

As an actor, I felt only I could do justice Othatha Seruppu, had a script for Othatha Seruppu But I didn’t go by the book. For example, while I was acting, I would suddenly see a cuckoo from the window. I told my cameraman [Ramji] To take the camera with him and follow me. How do you call it ‘screenplay’? Everything I did was spontaneous and improvised on set [for both Oththa Seruppu and Iravin Nizhal],

Hitchcock’s “Rope” and Sam Mendes’ “1917” were made to look like a single-shot film on the edit table. However, the Malayalam film ‘Santhoshthinte Onnam Rahasham’ was actually shot as a single-shot. What was your attitude towards ‘Irawin Nijal’?

This film does not fall into either of these categories. But where our film differs is by showing flashbacks in that single-shot. that’s why i used label [the world’s first single-shot nonlinear film],

With that label as a marketing tool, I could do a kuppai padam [trashy film], But the 21 crores we have invested must have missed an opportunity to tell an interesting story. I wanted the audience to experience this experiment.

‘Irawin Nijal’ is touted to be the world’s first nonlinear single-shot film. photo credit: special arrangement

The execution must have been a nightmare…

I wrote erwin nizali As a nonlinear film. But we could not make the sets based on the sequence of the script. We shot inside a building and it was designed like a maze. Actors and technicians have to adjust for such a complex film.

For example, we have closeup, mid-long and long shots. How can a camera do justice to it, especially in single-shot film? If the camera is to stay in one place, the actor has to increase his exposure. Only then can we pan for the next shot. For that we need professional actors. it all went into making erwin nizali,

‘Othatha Seruppu’ and ‘Irawin Nizhal’ both have a dramatic quality. Would you attribute this to your background as a drama artist?

It definitely gave me confidence. I believe that I am a really good actor. Othatha Seruppu A good example is because I managed to grab the attention of the audience for two hours, which is not an easy task. This was a film that Shivaji sir should have done. Or at least Kamal sir. But I ended up acting in it.

the initial goal I set for myself erwin nizali It was that I should be acting for two hours straight. Also, the film deals with many emotions. There is a scene where I am joking but there is a scene where I have to cry. There is no time to pour glycerin as it is a one shot film. So, my theatrical background helped in that aspect.

This was not the only challenge, however. The most important aspect of a camera is focus. Given a tight set piece, even if you miss a move, you lose that shot. There are three songs in lip-sync. Imagine how difficult that must have been. I still wanted to do it. Otherwise this industry will put you on the sidelines and ask you to pave the way for the youth. [laughs],

In which phase did AR Rahman come out?

I have always wanted to work with Rahman and we have been friends for a long time. But that was not the only reason. Othatha Seruppu Has almost made it to the Oscar nomination list. When I was marketing the film in the US, Rahman was also present there. Perhaps Othatha Seruppu Had Rahman scored, he might have got a chance to fight. That’s what I wanted for her brand erwin nizali,

When I narrated the script, Rahman had one condition. He said, ‘You won’t back down right? You have to promise me that you will shoot it as a single shot. When I showed him the set we had built for it, he felt confident. Rahman has not done ‘Dark’ film and erwin nizali It is about the different stages of a man. It begins with the sad story of a child drinking breast milk from his dead mother. Rahman really liked the progress of the story and I realized the divine power of his music when he stunned me with ‘Papam Seyathiru’.

Is Parthiban 2.0 here to stay?

clicked in my experiment Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam, i don’t know where i’m going erwin nizali, I have some challenging scripts but I don’t know whether I should do them for the challenge or for the change. [money],

This film took two and a half years to make. I feel like I have invested 25 years in it. I want to cool off a bit and rest. If a big star suddenly feels that I am a good director and wants to work with me, then I am playing for that too.

What keeps you motivated?

Art cannot be hidden in any form. So if I keep playing to my strength, I will get tired and I don’t want to fall into that trap. way erwin nizali was shot was a lesson for me. Twenty or thirty years later, if someone decides to make a single-shot film, they’ll probably remember me. What more could an artist wish for?