Nayanthara's professionalism and perfection continues to surprise me 

This weekly column brings to you a promising assistant director, and their aspirations and this week it is Guru Prakash, assistant director of  Venkat Prabhu
Nayanthara's professionalism and perfection continues to surprise me 

Interview with Guru Prakash 

 

Directors worked with: Nandhini JS, Rajan Madhav, Venkat Prabhu, and Bakkiyaraj Kannan
Films worked on:
Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru, Muran, Massu and Remo 
Main responsibilities:
Scripting, explaining scenes to artists, and ensuring continuity 

When did you realise cinema was your calling?

I wouldn't lie that I was passionate about cinema right from my childhood. I slowly started loving cinema through Mani Ratnam sir's films. Initially, I was working as an Electronics and Communications engineer, but the urge to get into filmmaking kept haunting me. One fine day, I decided to call it quits and step into cinema. I didn't have contacts to guide me or knowledge about the craft when I started. After much struggle, I finally joined Nandhini ma'am. Her debut Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru, also became my first film. 

What have you learned from your directors?

I like the boldness of Nandhini ma'am. Also, I've never seen her procrastinate. She never wraps up until she's satisfied with the result on the monitor.  

People usually think Venkat Prabhu parties all the time. But he is a very dedicated filmmaker, who knows to differentiate between work and play. He ensures work gets done in the fastest manner possible. People hardly realise the kind of work he has extracted from them until they see the final output. 

Have you ever been starstruck?

I truly admire the professionalism and perfection of Nayanthara ma'am. Since she has already achieved superstardom, nobody would question her even if she comes a bit late. If the shot is scheduled at 2 pm, she will arrive on sets, perfectly prepared at 1:55 pm itself. Her dedication and passion for acting have always surprised me.

What's one thing that you think you can bring to Tamil cinema?

I want to make films like Kakka Muttai, which talk in depth about philosophies of life but lace it with humour and human emotions. Few films have gotten the recognition they deserve and they've reached only a select audience. 

What’s one area of filmmaking that you had a tough time with, but are better at now?

I think it's the post-production part. During this stage, the film transforms completely and the magic of cinema. When I started as an AD, I thought that writing a script and getting a producer to bankroll it gets the major part of the job done. But only during Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru I realised that post-production is the most demanding and challenging part of filmmaking.  

Who would be the ideal cast and crew for your dream project?

It's my dream to work with Ajith sir and PC Sreeram sir. While working as a co-director in Remo, I loved interacting with PC sir. Right now I have short-listed three scripts and I'm positive that I'll be getting my break soon. 

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