Natty Nataraj: Caught in a web of vices

Natty’s upcoming film, a psychological thriller titled Web, is set to hit screens this Friday. The cinematographer-turned-actor operates in a space where his choice of films could rarely be boxed into predictable categories, thereby inciting curiosity. When asked how he chose Web, which marks the debut of director Haroon, Natty recalls, “When I met Haroon, I was intrigued by his boldness and straightforwardness. He told me he hadn’t assisted any other directors nor did he make any short films before. I was struck by his candidness and going by the strength of the script, I decided to give this a shot.” Thankfully, Natty's intuition proved to be right when he started observing the professionalism on set. “Even though Haroon lacked experience, he made up for it with his on-set professionalism. By looking at how well the shots were set up and how well he extracted work out of the cast and crew, I was happy to know that I made the right call.”

Natty shares that the film’s central node is mounted on a societal concern. “We all indulge in one thing or another that acts as stress busters. These vices could either be drugs or alcohol. However, these are one-way streets that lead to the destruction of our lives and those around us. Web talks about such a concept," says Natty, adding,  “My character Veera is a complicated role and was a tough one to pull off.”

While Natty is busy slipping in and out of characters in front of the camera, his love for cinematography still lives on with the same fervour. “I will be returning to do cinematography for a Hindi film next year. The makers will announce the details of the film pretty soon. I’m excited about it,” he says. He further shares how he has been keeping an eye on recent developments in cinematography. “Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning was a recent film I saw which had amazing visuals. Closer home, Theni Eswar has been doing amazing work.”

Natty has an exciting lineup of films, including Suriya’s Kanguva and director Rajesh’s untitled Jayam Ravi film. He will also be sharing screen space with Anurag Kashyap and Vijay Sethupathi in Nithilan Swaminathan’s Maharajan, which marks VJS’ 50th film. “I shot 22 days for my portion in the film and only the dubbing remains. The film has an amazing story and Nithilan is a great director. All I can reveal about the film is that I am not playing the antagonist as some speculated. However, I am excited for the audience to see it.” he signs off.