While he is all set to make his directorial debut this Friday with Double Occupancy, Aswin Kandasamy is not new to the film industry. “I’ve been in the industry for ten years as a line producer and executive producer. I gradually realised that I could write, and I hoped my friends would direct my stories, but none of them did. So I decided to give it a shot myself, entered a 24-hour short film contest, and won. That gave me the confidence to make my foray into direction,” says Aswin.
However, he had to face one big hurdle first. “Since I had a decade of experience in production, the moment I started to write, I constantly kept thinking about its viability through an executive producer’s lens. See, I could write, ‘He walked across Mount Road,’ and the executive producer in my head would immediately ask if I could pull off a shoot in a busy place like that,” says Aswin, who asserts that it is important aspiring filmmakers muzzle that question. “Honestly, I’m glad there are amazing producers like Avni Cinemax who do not restrict the director’s vision,” he says. Interestingly, this overthinking came in handy when he was searching for a story to make his directorial debut. “During a friendly banter with my friend, we spoke about a boy suddenly turning into a girl and vice versa. I thought it was a fun thought experiment, and I fleshed out the entire story by asking myself questions on why that would happen and how the characters might deal with it. That is how I finally arrived at the story for Double Occupancy,” says Aswin.
Although Double Occupancy features a fantastical premise in which a woman turns into a man and vice versa, Aswin shares that the film doesn't address gender politics. “The film is not an allegory for any themes related to gender politics. But we had a scene featuring a trans man, and he thanked me for portraying the issues his community faces. I was deeply moved by his comments.” As the release day draws near, Aswin reveals his greatest desire. “I would be happy if Rajinikanth sir calls and tells me he liked the film, and I do have a script for him. Eleven minutes is all I need to narrate,” says Aswin. Why eleven minutes, you ask? “Because I’ve been practicing it with a timer, that’s how much I’m looking forward to the moment,” he signs off with a smile.
