Prem Anand: Fanboy to filmmaker

It's easiest perhaps to judge the horror and comedy genres. How many times did the film scare you? How many times did you laugh out loud? With DD Returns, S Prem Anand has tackled both genres by doing a horror-comedy “It hardly felt like a debut.” And it's because "I have been a part of Santhanam sir’s writing team for a long time now.” Specifically, from his Lollu Sabha days. “I have always been a huge fan of his,” he says. “I first met him as a fan. We had a couple of laughs and he liked how I talked, so he asked me to join his writing team. Starting from Kanden Kadhalai to all his films with directors Rajesh, and Shankar, till now, I have been writing for him.” However, being credited as a director does bring a special feeling. “Even though I have been a regular part of his films, having a dedicated title card as a director does feel special. I feel a sense of heightened responsibility.”

While he might have worked with Santhanam as a writer for years, what’s it like to handle him as a director? He has a joke answer in Tamil. “Writer-a kerchief madhri pizhinjaaru… Director-a bedsheet madhri pizhinjaaru,” he says, laughing. “He is a hard worker; I learned a lot about dedication from him.”

Popularly known for his roasts, Santhanam was once criticised for being insensitive with his humour. As someone with an active hand in the evolution of Santhanam’s humour, Prem, who is aware of such criticism, acknowledges the need for tasteful humour. “You should always punch up in comedy. Making fun of someone’s shortcomings or disadvantages is wrong. That is why when I’m writing jokes, I make sure that the person I am mocking is either a powerful person, a villain, or a spiteful character.” He then explains with a joke from DD Returns, a moment when Santhanam’s character talks to a ghost that bullies him throughout. “Naanum body-shame panna koodathu nu thaan paakaren, but unna laam shame pannalana enakku thaan da asingam.”

Eager to evolve and bring fresh new perspectives to the table, Prem Anand is keen on breaking conventional horror tropes. “In DD Returns, we did not want to provide ghosts with a justification for why torment their victims. We did not want exorcists or saamiyars. All these aspects have been overused in horror comedies.” There are other obstacles to overcome too when you are writing comedy—like relevance. One joke in DD Returns acts as a callback to a dance step from the ‘Oo Antava’ song in Pushpa, and Prem speaks of being worried that the joke might feel outdated. “Chasing a trend is always risky. When we shot that scene, that song was all the rage. It was improvised on the spot by our writer Murugan. We thought it was hilarious and served a purpose. Closer to release, I was worried it might have become outdated, but the theatre response has made me happy.”

He credits his screenwriting clarity to Tamil writer and novelist Indra Soundar Rajan. “He is our guru. He is like our Google map, who tells us where to turn right and where to turn left. He has helped us with all the Dhilluku Dhuddu films.” The director also credits writers Murugan and Sethu for coming up with jokes and on-the-spot improvisations.

Prem Anand might have turned director, but he’s first a Santhanam fan and can’t wait to work with him again. “I want to show him in a grittier avatar, like it was done in Gulu Gulu.” After a pause, he explains, “I am a pucca North Madras guy, who grew up around Tondiarpet. I have narrated a story to Santhanam sir in which he plays a character from there. It’s a light-hearted film that has some gritty portions and action.” The debutant director ends the conversation by sharing that Santhanam has really liked his story and that they might commence work on it soon.