Rathindran R Prasad, who directed the viral music video Kodaikanal Won’t, is currently wrapping up the last schedule of his debut feature, Idhu Vedhalam Sollum Kadhai. A fantasy film co-produced by Abhay Deol, Idhu Vedhalam Sollum Kadhai features several characters from Indian folklore, such as Vikram, Vethal and Nagin. As he talks to us from atop a mountain in Telangana, he says he’s more interested in the metaphors these characters represent, than the fantastical value. “I’m not one to make a VFX-heavy film just for the sake of it. I’m more interested in what these mythological characters stand for, and the political climate that would have birthed characters like Vikram and Vethal. When our own traditions are so rich with stories, why should we make another vampire film?”
The director, whose short film Swayer Corporations was screened at Cannes, has roped in a British stunt choreographer, an Italian cinematographer, a Thai colourist and a Turkish producer ( his wife) for the film. “Roberto Zazzara, my DOP, is known for shooting landscapes. We have shot this film in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Chennai, and his fresh eyes are sure to show us India in a very different way from how we’ve seen it so far.”
The film also includes portions that feature Manga, a Japanese style of animation. “What authentically arises from our roots is what will become truly international. But its technicality can be from anywhere. That’s why I have chosen such a diverse team of technicians for the film.”
Having worked in industries around the world, he says making a film is equally challenging, irrespective of the industry. “If its the Boards and producers that make it difficult for you to make your film in Britain, its the Studios in Hollywood that does it there.” Yet, he says his technicians found his Indian crew to be especially cooperative. “They were surprised to see how even the lead actors would move equipment and help in every phase of production. Everyone’s an assistant director on the sets. I don’t believe in hierarchy.”
The director, who had left a lucrative career as an ad filmmaker (‘swearing that I’d never again work for the corporates’) to become an organic farmer in Auroville, says he doesn’t want to be known as an activist. “Cinema, in that sense, gives you a platform to be creative, and you don’t have to lie through your nose, like you have to in advertising.”