KG Balasubramani Interview: Black is not just a cerebral film

Despite the genre witnessing reasonable success in Tamil cinema, science fiction remains a rarity. Perhaps, owing to the complexity involved in writing for the genre, the chances of failing are higher, even with minor issues. However, debutant KG Balasubramani has taken up that challenge with Black, which stars Jiiva and Priya Bhavani Shankar in the lead.

The makers confirmed that Black is inspired by the 2013 Hollywood sci-fi film, Coherence. When asked what gave him the confidence to remake a critically acclaimed Hollywood film as his debut, Balasubramani says, “Every director’s ego will naturally stop him from conceding he has been inspired by a particular film. To be honest, except for the knot, there is no similarity between both films. But, our producer, SR Prabhu, wanted to steer clear of legal troubles and maintain his company’s integrity, so he thought it was better to acquire the Hollywood film’s rights. I guarantee that you will not call Black a remake. The concept dealt with is similar, but the film is not alien to Indian or Tamil film sensibilities.” Black is receiving praise for effectively handling how the multiple timelines are interwoven. Regarding the complexity of the screenplay, the director says, “In a film, the unravelling of every mystery will usually provide a resolution, but in my film, the unravelling accompanies more questions.”

Elaborating on his previous point, Balasubramani says that Black’s plot also shares similarities with the short film he made during his Naalaiya Iyakkunar days. Interestingly, actor Vivek Prasanna has reprised his role from the short film in Black. “Vivek was helpful whenever the other actors hit a roadblock or if they made a wrong judgement. Since he is as familiar as I am with this script, he knew exactly what I wanted and helped the other actors understand the story,” Further commenting on the film’s uniqueness, Balasubramani says, “Unlike some thrillers, where you can guess the twists or even the climax, Black’s story can lend itself to a dozen climaxes and interpretations. There is no one right answer.”

No amount of complexity in a screenplay can ensure a film’s success unless the editor makes it comprehensible to the audience. Balasubramani recalls how editor Philomin Raj was thoroughly invested in Black, despite working on biggies like Leo, Maharaja, and Vettaiyan. “Philo was involved in the film right from the scripting process. He even suggested shots and frames so that it would be comfortable for him to edit. He owned the project like his own to the point that we had misunderstandings. But, that is not to be understood as a rift; our disagreements were for the betterment of the film. The editing in Black is so crucial that it will be talked about like Maanaadu.” However, he is cautious not to term Black as a completely cerebral film. “At its core, Black is an emotional film about a couple who go through a strange incident and reconcile their differences,” he says.

Balasubramani has high praises for his stars, “Jiiva sir never wanted his fun image to interfere with the character. But in Black, he played a serious character from start to finish and never insisted on placing dialogues that weren’t needed. Likewise, Priya Bhavani Shankar was not just a dedicated actor; she also corrected me whenever there were some problematic dialogues that could be misogynistic. Also, having started off as a newsreader, she also suggests I simplify lines to make them concise.” Drawing parallels with Pizza and Maya, Balasubramani says, “Pizza and Maya stood out when a slew of horror comedies were made. Both films won praise for staying true to their genre and for also being innovative with regard to storytelling. I am confident my film will join that league,” he concludes.