A still from Mercury/image from YouTube.
Thirty-one years since the release of Kamal Haasan’s silent film Pushpak, Indian audiences are set to experience a film without any dialogues in cinemas as Prabhu Deva-starrer Mercury hits the screens on 13 April. In this chat, director Karthik Subbaraj, best known for films such as Pizza, Jigarthanda and Iraivi, opened up on the reason behind the idea of making a silent film, roping in Prabhu Deva to play the antagonist and joining hands with superstar Rajinikanth for his next project.
A still from Mercury/image from YouTube.
Ever since Subbaraj started making films, it has been his dream to make a film without dialogues. “How many of us still remember the silent era and the work of Charlie Chaplin and his contemporaries? I’m a huge fan of the silent era and I can’t explain in words how much I love Kamal sir’s Pushpak. I’ve always wanted to make a silent film and when I was toying with the idea of Mercury, I decided to make it without any dialogues,” Subbaraj said in a group chat, adding Mercury is a thriller from the first frame to the last. “All my films so far have been dark comedies. Iraivi was more of a drama with a strong undercurrent about feminism. Mercury is essentially a thriller and the way we’ve made it will make it a unique experience for the audiences.”
Mercury features Prabhu Deva in a very unconventional role. Subbaraj says the film has tapped the hidden potential of the well-known choreographer-filmmaker, who will soon direct Dabangg 3 with Salman Khan. “He’s a terrific actor. He’s mostly done comedies and rom-coms. Nobody has given him anything slightly negative. Mercury has tapped his hidden acting potential and audiences are going to love his performance.”
While Prabhu Deva had no inhibitions to play a negative character, he did ask Subbaraj if he could really pull off a silent film. “When I pitched the idea, he asked me if I could do it because making a silent film is no joke. I told him I’d do it because I found the idea very challenging and I’ve always wished to the kind of work that challenges and pushes me out of my comfort zone.”
Talking more about the film, Subbaraj said the story unfolds in a span of two days in a hill station. “Apart from the fact that it’s a thriller, the story shines the spotlight on how corporates have exploited small towns. The inspiration behind the idea has been incidents such as Bhopal gas leak and Mercury poisoning in Japan.” He said, heaping praise on his technical crew.
The film has music by Santhosh Narayanan and sound design by Kunal Rajan. Well-known lens-man Tirru cranked the camera for Mercury which mostly features newcomers in the titular roles. Explaining the role of sound in the film, Subbaraj said, “I approached Santhosh with the first cut of the film. The kind of effort that has gone into the music and sound design is unprecedented. A generation of audiences has not experienced a silent film in cinemas and I believe this is going to be an experience worth their buck. When Tirru sir read the script and agreed to come on board, half of my burden was already taken care of. His visuals have taken Mercury to the next level in terms of viewing experience.”
With Mercury, Subbaraj is foraying into Bollywood and Tollywood. The film will have a pan-India release and the young director is really excited. “Since this is a no language film, we have the privilege of releasing it anywhere. Mercury is the biggest release ever in my career. I hope it leaves a mark in other industries as well.”
In Tamil Nadu, however, the film will not release until the ongoing strike between Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) and Digital Service Providers is over. “It is slightly disappointing that we’re not able to release in Tamil Nadu. But, we’re with the industry in this strike and we will respect their decision to not release any new Tamil films.”
On a concluding note, Subbaraj said he will commence work on his next project with Rajinikanth in the next couple of months. Recalling how the project materialised, he said, “He really loved Jigarthanda and invited me home. We spoke about the film and he told me that he really loved Bobby Simhaa’s negative character. Rajini sir said the character reminded him of his character from 16 Vayadhinile. I told him that I wrote the character keeping him in mind. He joked that if I had him in mind for the character, I should have approached him.”
It was Pa Ranjith’s Kabali that gave Subbaraj the confidence to approach the superstar. “After Kabali, I decided to go and meet him with a story idea. Since he worked with Ranjith, I was confident he will work with me too if he likes my story. He liked what I pitched and asked me to develop the idea,” he said, without divulging too much about the film.
Updated Date: Apr 12, 2018 11:09 AM