Click it and Unblock the Notifications
EXCLUSIVE: Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa... Director Richard Anthony Opens Up About The Film & Much More!
Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa..., the second season of Amazon Prime Video's Putham Pudhu Kaalai, is gearing up for a grand release this Pongal season. Just like its first installment, this anthology film also has five segments, which are directed by five young filmmakers.
Richard Anthony, the former direction assistant of veteran filmmaker Mani Ratnam has directed the segment titled Nizhal Tharum Idam in this anthology. The project marks the feature film debut of the young talent, who has also worked in the advertisement industry.
In an EXCLUSIVE tete-e-tete with Filmibeat, director Richard Anthony opened up about Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa..., working with Mani Ratnam as an AD, and much more... Read the excerpts from the chat here...
1. How did you become a part of Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa...?
I did a short film last year. I think one of the creative executives from Amazon watched it and reached out when they were looking out to set up this project. I think they were interested in working with me, and they approached me. That's how got this opportunity. In that way, it was quite easy.
2. We live in a time where the audiences are exposed to anthology concepts, thanks to the OTT platforms. How different is Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa..., as a film?
I don't think we have explored much of anthologies, at least when it comes to Tamil cinema. Only 2 or 3 of them are there. I think the first edition (Putham Pudhu Kaalai) and this one are the only films that have spoken about the lockdown or about the pandemic. That itself is a different thing. As the trailer revealed, Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa..., which is the second installment of this franchise also narrates the stories set in the pandemic.
3. Can you please share something about your segment in the anthology - Nizhal Tharum Idam?
Aishwarya Lekshmi has played the lead role in my film, there are some other characters also. I wanted to talk about a particular topic in this film. I think most of the pandemic films have talked about a lot of things - from relationships to migrant workers' life and a lot more things. I wanted to talk about a topic that most people resonate with outside the pandemic also. That is the topic that interested me to explore.
This film is more of my central character's inward journey - on what she is going through. And pandemic happens to be the extension of her world. That is the only thing I can tell you now because I don't want to colour the way I want people to see the film. I want it to be seen the way they want to perceive it. This is a sort of film that can be viewed in many ways I feel.
4. How did Aishwarya Lekshmi become a part of this project?
When it comes to the creative choice - she is a fantastic performer, no doubt on that. I've always admired her work and liked her performances. And I know her because I've worked with her on a film where I was an assistant director. I've seen how she works and she knows how I function - we both know each other well.
So, when this film came up, she was actually the only person I could think of. Because my film not just talks about the actions, it is also about the interactions. This means the character and the actor who plays it should hold a lot of things. Aishwarya Lekshmi was the right and best fit for me. It was more about I need to convince her to play the role and about the dates and other things. But somewhere I knew that I would be able to convince her with the role. Things worked out well and Aishwarya was very happy once she read the script. That is how she came in.
5. You have worked with veteran filmmaker Mani Ratnam, as an assistant director. How did that journey influence you?
I think I've learned a lot. Before I joined him, I've worked with a lot of ad filmmakers as an AD. But when I went to work with him, the whole grammar is different - when you approach an ad film to a feature film, the film language is different. So when I went in, I had to surrender myself and unlearn what I had learned. Even though it is the same process when you see it from the outside, it is not the same when you actually go in and work in a feature film.
So, when I joined Mani Ratnam sir, I went in more like a fresher. This means, I already knew what the work process is like generally because I have my experience as an AD. I knew how things work, but at the same time, it was all new to see how the Boss works. I would always say that how much ever filmmakers have influenced me - Mani Sir is the one person that I learned from - how to execute things or how to be around, and there is a lot of influence.
And you never know what you picked up from your Boss when you are working with him. Only when you start working on your own, you will realise it. You would not be the first person to notice it - it is the people around you who notice such things. People who see your film - might notice a scene or something. Even though you don't keep a reference at any point, the influence will always be there. If you ask about the influences, I would never know. Only with my films, you will be able to find out if at all there is any.
6. What is your biggest takeaway from Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa...?
For me, it is very interesting because I'm in a place where I'm starting out. Among the other four filmmakers in this anthology - Surya is another debutant. But the other three filmmakers are quite experienced. They have several reference points of how things work - in a studio set up to traditional producers or whatever it is.
For me this is how it started - this is my first experience of working with a team. So, for this, one of the takeaways I had is what I felt when I'm working with a studio or when I'm developing the story with them. There was a lot that I was trying to learn from them. Because how much ever it is my own film, it is still packaged in an anthology. It is interesting to see how your film will be received by so many other people.
If I'm doing my kind of film, I might not know who my audiences are. It might only cater to one particular group of audiences. But this anthology is not going to be watched only because of my work. People are going to watch it for the cast and different directors. The film opens up to a lot wider audiences. I would be able to say what my exact takeaway is, only after the film releases. But as a process, I found it interesting because I really valued the collaboration - both with the studio and within the team. This healthy collaboration will be my takeaway at this point.
7. What do you have to say to the viewers who are eagerly waiting for the film?
The films are all based on pandemic and it is from the same franchise (Putham Pudhu Kaalai). It has an interesting line of cast and it has interesting directors. And it is a long holiday (laughs), you are all at home. Give it a shot, watch it - it talks about all beautiful things like love, friendship, and a lot more. You can't afford to miss it I feel.
8. Can you please share about your future projects?
At the moment there is nothing concrete. I'm trying to write something.
