Prasath Ramar: Relatable faces are almost non-existent in mainstream cinema
It is not every day that a filmmaker chooses debutantes to lead their film. Still, director Prasath Ramar, who made his debut with Enakkul Oruvan in 2015, took the chance because he wanted to give his audience a relatable film. "I wanted the casting to be true to the story and my actors to represent the actual characters in my film. I feel the representation of genuine boy-next-door characters or rooted, relatable faces, is almost non-existent in mainstream cinema," says director Prasath, as he speaks along with music composer and producer Pradeep Kumar, about their latest coming-of-age film, Nalla Perai Vaanga Vendum Pillaigale (NPVVP).
Pradeep, you earlier produced the documentary Arunagiri Perumale, but this is your first feature film production. Why did you choose such a small-scale, and rooted film for your debut?
I back projects that I am very passionate about. I was initially not planning to produce Arunagiri Perumale, I was only making an album. But when I realised that the project was shaping up like a documentary, I spontaneously made the decision to produce it. I came on board NPVVP as a music composer and decided to back it once I realised the importance of the film’s subject.
Prasath, Enakkul Oruvan was a psychological drama with a star in the lead. Why did you choose to go for a completely different genre with minimal production value for your sophomore?
I started my career as a co-writer for Pizza. CV Kumar sir bought the remake rights of the Kannada film Lucia and asked me if I was willing to direct it, which later became Enakkul Oruvan. After that, the writer in me felt that I needed to learn more about filmmaking before directing my next. So when I was exploring filmmaking and writing, I came across a rooted story like NPVVP and decided to pursue it.
Open-ended films are not always received well by the audience. What thinking went behind taking a risk by ending the film with a question mark?
PR: Open-ended films are not new to Tamil cinema. Many of Mahendran sir’s films, like Udhiri Pookal for example, end with question marks, and people were willing to accept such films. A lot of my predecessors have taken that bold choice, and I have only executed what they already experimented with, years ago. While I wrote the script with my own creativity and mind, I would say that the film’s story was completed in the audience’s mind.
PK: Surprisingly, the audience’s takeaway and imagination are beyond what we expected. They’ve embraced the open ending with wide arms, and are more than willing to take home their own perception of the story.
Pradeep, how did you conceptualise the music for the film?
We recorded nadaswaram and tavil players in Madurai, for a song. They were watching scenes from the film, and that’s when I got the idea to make them play a few notes for the film's score. That day, I realised that music is a language, every note we play in every instrument gives a different meaning. The ‘pee pee’ sounds from the nadaswaram and the basic beats of the tavil are sounds that these artists use to set their instruments to pitch, I decided to incorporate that into the film's score.
Prasath, while you have experimented with cinematography, the overall visual output of the film seems to have very little production value. Was this a conscious choice?
We wanted the output to be a relatable and rooted experience. We weren’t aiming for something aesthetically beautiful, and we shot the entire film with just two wide lenses. Also, we didn’t want the audience to think about the technicalities or the craft of the film. If they start thinking about that, then they would lose out on the actual film-watching experience. No doubt, we put in a lot of hard work to shoot the film. But the audience does not need to know all that.
How has the reception for the NPVVP been so far?
PK: We made the film in a way that would resonate with youngsters, but parents are relating to the film more. The best compliment we received for the film was when a mother said she wanted her daughter to be like Arasi (Preethy Karan). Another old man in one of the theatres we visited, said that he came to watch the film as the title was a reference to MGR, but he still enjoyed the film.
Now that NPVVP is out and doing well in theatres, what other plans do the both of you have for your career ahead?
PR: I don’t have any definitive plans in mind. At the top of my mind, I want to make a food movie, one which makes the audience hungry when they leave the theatres. Also, I want to make a musical and make Pradeep the hero of the film. I wish to produce the film so Pradeep can star in it.
PK: I will continue to produce films and projects that I am passionate about. I am also working on a few new documentaries, one about folk musicians, specifically Nadaswaram artists, and another documentary which revolves around how we can travel back in time musically, as the world is now filled with so much modern technology. I will reveal more details about these projects, once they materialise.