Prabu Solomon: Kovai Sarala is indeed a nadippu rakshasi

It is not often that a film-based interview throws up the following question, “How would you escape when you come face-to-face with a tiger in a forest?” But when the person sitting opposite the interviewer is director Prabu Solomon, who almost has a stronghold in forest-based stories over the past decade, it is but expected. Post the blockbuster success of Mynaa, Prabu Solomon has more or less bid adieu to city-based stories and has settled in the forests. His latest, Sembi, is once again a story set in the greenery-filled hills of Kodaikanal. “The world is taking me deeper and deeper into it,” says a smiling Prabu Solomon, adding, “There are a lot of forest stories that are yet to be told. In fact, we have more non-urban areas in Tamil Nadu, and the variety of these terrains should be explored more in our films.”

Apart from the setting, a common theme of Prabu Solomon’s films has been humanity and the power of love. Adding that Sembi is no different, Prabu says, “The bus in Sembi is called Anbu, and each of its 27 passengers is a representative of this society. Each passenger has a story, a boarding point, and a destination. When the credits roll in Sembi, the audience would feel like one of the passengers moving on to the next journey in their lives.”

Such philosophies drive Prabu Solomon’s films. We have seen his films like Kumki and Kaadan deal with man-animal conflict, and projects like Kayal talk about the power of nature, and humankind’s quest to understand oneself. In fact, Prabu Solomon shares that Aaron, the protagonist of Kayal, is an extension of himself. “Right from my school days, I wanted to be someone who collects a lot of memories. The pursuit of money cannot be at the cost of losing out on creating memorable experiences. The question of ‘What next? Where your life is headed?’ is such a perplexing question. Why should my life head anywhere? Why is winning in life a bigger priority than living it? With Sembi, we have touched upon a lot of such themes,” says the filmmaker, who strongly believes that the only acceptable ‘What Next?’ should be in his films that are essentially thrillers in nature. “Just aesthetics cannot make a film. What next? has been my driving force for my writing, and my films.”

Another noteworthy aspect of Prabu Solomon’s filmography is his unwavering focus on getting the casting right. Having launched and relaunched many a career, Prabu Solomon has always come up with roles that stand the test of time. “There is a huge effort that goes into getting the casting right. If the right actors are in place, then 50 per cent of the filmmaker’s vision will come off right. For instance, I actually wanted a tribal woman to play the role of Veerathaayi. While some couldn’t recreate the pronunciation, the others were just camera shy, and some others just ran off! Then, when I thought of 80s heroines who would fit this role, the image of Aachi ma (the late veteran Manorama) came to mind, and immediately, I couldn’t help but zero in on Kovai Sarala ma,” shares Prabu Solomon, who candidly admits that even Kovai Sarala was skeptical about his choice since the character was sketched as a person, who just has measured expressions, and limited reactions. “But I knew Sarala ma was my Veerathaayi. And when Kamal Haasan sir saw the film, he appreciated the nuances in her performance and felt bad about the spotlight not shining bright enough on such talents. No wonder he called her a nadippu rakshashi.”

Another inspired casting choice was actor Ashwin Kumar, who plays a rather sober role in Sembi. Admitting that he didn’t know of Ashwin from his Cooku with Comali days, Prabu reveals that he wanted someone like Roja’s Arvind Swamy, who looks out of place in the milieu, and the production house suggested a bunch of names, including Ashwin. “Credits to him for accepting a role that has no heroine, no songs, no dance, no fights, etc... but this role has the potential to lead him to such opportunities. I am glad Ashwin had the maturity to understand the role and its impact.”

Calling Sembi a spectacle of emotions, Prabu Solomon says that the film is a reflection of his desire to emulate Kamal Haasan’s words about a filmmaker’s duty to improve the taste of the audience. “Most of the time, filmmakers are doing films that are comfortable for them to make, and comfortable for the audience to watch. But it is very important to disrupt the status quo. If stalwarts like Sivaji sir or Kamal sir didn’t do it, we wouldn’t have got such a myriad of films and characters. You see, fans are neutral. They will watch both Uthiri Pookal and Paayum Puli, as long as they are interesting stories told in an engaging way. That is exactly what has been my endeavour through all my films,” signs off Prabu Solomon, not before revealing the way to escape that tiger in a forest. “Always carry a matchbox in hand, remove a piece of clothing, light it up and sway it to scare the animal away with fire.”

Well, just like all Prabu Solomon films, his interviews too come with an engaging plot, a social message, and an important forest-based takeaway.