By:
Subhash
K.
Jha,
IndiaFM
Monday,
August
13,
2007
Vishal
Bhardwaj
who
has
made
an
AIDS
film
on
behalf
of
Mira
Nair
for
the
Bill
Gates
Foundation,
has
high
praise
for
Santosh
Sivam.
"Santosh's
film
for
the
same
series
is
far
superior
to
mine," says
the
generous
composer-director
whose
Blue
Umbrella
gets
released
today.
"In
fact
Santosh's
film
is
the
best
of
the
entire
lot,
and
that
includes
my
film
along
with
Farhan
Akhtar
and
Mira
Nair's."
Santosh
is
delighted
by
his
colleague's
compliment.
"Vishal
has
seen
all
the
films
in
the
series,
so
he's
in
a
position
to
comment.
That's
very
generous
of
him."
Santosh's
AIDS
film
in
Kannada
entitled
Prarambha
brings
back
veteran
South
Indian
actress
B.
Saroja
Devi
(remember
Rajendra
Kumar
singing
'Teri
Pyari
Pyari
Surat
Ko' to
her
in
Sasural?)
in
a
key
role.
"There
was
a
role
in
Prarambha
for
which
she
was
tailor-made.
I
just
asked
her
if
she
would
do
it,
and
she
readily
agreed.
My
short-film
also
stars
Prabhu
Deva."
Sivan
had
the
time
of
his
life
directing
two
such
contrasting
actors.
A
child
plays
a
key
role
in
Prarambha.
Sivan
loves
to
work
with
children.
"For
Halo
I
altered
the
script
to
accommodate
a
physically
impaired
child
because
she
was
keen
to
play
the
part
and
I
didn't
want
to
break
her
heart."
Whether
it's
an
AIDS
victim,
a
cross
dresser
(in
Nava
Rasa)
or
a
human
bomb
(Terrorist)
Santosh
Sivan
is
fascinated
by
fringe
people.