Prasanth Vijay is a sucker for love stories. So much so that he used to religiously study scripts of classic love stories, such as It Happened One Night (1934), Roman Holiday (1953), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), before even watching these films. While his early, critically acclaimed films Athisayangalude Venal (2017) and Daayam (2023) didn't have scope for romance, Prasanth is finally exploring it in his upcoming film, Ithiri Neram, set for release on November 7.

The posters and promo videos featuring Roshan Mathew and Zarin Shihab on a night stroll through the streets of Thiruvananthapuram might instantly remind one of Richard Linklater's Before Trilogy (1995-2013) and Premkumar’s '96 (2018), but Prasanth says there is more to it than what meets the eye. "I was always a bit scared to attempt love stories, because it's extremely hard to infuse novelty in them. Even Linklater once said, 'When I had my first kiss, it didn't feel like a new experience because I've seen this countless times in movies.' I was also afraid that people would call it 'cringe'. But since Ithiri Neram is about two former lovers meeting after eight years, I didn't have the struggle of capturing cliche moments like their first meeting or the initial moments of love. With already a past between them, they could just casually slip into their old selves while meeting. But beyond all that, there’s a major genre shift in this story, which navigates terrains we haven't explored much before."

Inception

Inspired by a real incident faced by one of his journalist friends, Prasanth sought the assistance of Vishak Shakti, his former colleague from Infosys, to flesh out the screenplay. "Vishak and I worked together during the 2006-07 period and had a mutual interest in cinema, and even worked on a few ideas. We only reconnected years later when my first film, Athisayangalude Venal, was released. When I got this idea, I knew it should be a conversational film, and Vishak, with his sharp wit, was the right person to script it,” says Prasanth.

With romance and humour being an integral part of the narrative, Prasanth was convinced that Ithiri Neram could be a mainstream film, his first yet. It took off after filmmaker Jeo Baby, Prasanth's "only friend in the industry", expressed eagerness to back it. Another factor that makes Ithiri Neram 'mainstream' is the presence of familiar faces like Roshan, Zarin, Nandu, and Anand Manmadhan. Although the film largely revolves around the lead pair, the others are also crucial to the narrative, says Prashanth. "We explore a certain dichotomy in the film. The characters played by Roshan, Anand, and Nandu chettan belong to different facets of the Malayali male spectrum, while Zarin's Anjana is in stark contrast to them. She is a Malayali who has lived largely outside Kerala. I've personally experienced and seen that when you return to Kerala after living outside for a while, there's a change in worldview and overall outlook. Anjana is someone like that," explains the director, who went through many options before finding Zarin. "I contacted her after watching Aattam (2023) in Goa, and to my surprise, Zarin has also lived most of her life outside Kerala. She had the right sophistication that this character demanded. Since she and Roshan were good friends from their theatre days, their combination scenes and interactions became more real and lively."

Early influences

Prasanth's leaning towards serious and highbrow cinema can be traced to his parents, who took him to watch Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Anantaram (1987) and Mathilukal (1990), and Aravindan's Oridathu (1986). Then there was the influence from the film appreciation camps attended during school days, and later, by the 2000s, the internet. "My interest in cinema is shaped by multiple factors. My uncle used to write scripts, and though they never became films, they created an impression that writing is the foundation of filmmaking. Except for these scripts, all the other aspects of filmmaking were inaccessible. I still made use of all available resources. I remember reading extensively on how Sabu Cyril did the artwork in Kaalapani (1996). Then there was a phase when poster designs fascinated me. Similarly, songs, lyrics... I was excited when I learnt about digital cameras and how cinema would become more accessible. Looking back, I think I had been moulding myself to be a filmmaker from a very young age."

The art vs market dilemma

Despite his arthouse cinema background, Prasanth believes he can comfortably inhabit the commercial cinema space. Adapting is not tough, he says, as there are formulas to rely on. While arthouse or indie films constantly strive to break away from formulas, he believes mainstream cinema has the cushion of formulas, which can make your films "safe and successful.” However, what concerns him is the lack of creative control that comes with money. "How do I negotiate? Will I be fine with compromises? Will it lead to success? What about my artistic integrity? I'm curious about all of this. I can be flexible, but I’m unsure of the limit. From my experience so far, navigating the commercial space hasn't been easy. Irrespective of all the appreciation and accolades from festivals, you'll be considered a serious filmmaker only if you have a commercial release. My previous works haven’t benefited me in any way. Even last year, I tried pitching a ‘100 per cent commercial script’ to many banners, but none responded. It might be my mistake that I didn't keep pursuing, but I don't know how to do that," sighs the director.

While the "rigid segregation" between indie and mainstream cinema in India can be demotivating, Prasanth says he is inspired by the trend in Hollywood where acclaimed arthouse filmmakers get noticed and signed for big projects. "It's great because there's a complete fusion of sensibilities. Like how Todd Phillips, who did the Hangover films (2009-13), went on to make the widely appealing Joker (2019). That's what I'd like to emulate."

Subtitling interest

Besides filmmaking, Prasanth is also actively into subtitling, co-heading a company aptly named One Inch Barrier. The company worked on the subtitles of Sufiyum Sujatayum (2020), The Great Indian Kitchen (TGIK) (2021), Manjummel Boys (2024), and, more recently, Theatre: The Myth of Reality. Prasanth attributes subtitling to an extension of his constant penchant for learning filmmaking. "Subtitles have been a constant companion right from watching films on Doordarshan and later, international cinema. We have a team, and for every major work, I ensure I have a final look. It's a different creative high to find the right translations without losing out on the cultural context. It's also the joy of taking a film from our language to the world. When films like TGIK and Manjummel Boys became such phenomena, it's a secret pleasure that our translation has a very direct role to play in it. The headache always comes from songs with poor lyrics," laughs the director as he signs off.