My parents have let me do whatever I am interested in. Initially, they were apprehensive, but when they realised that filmmaking was my passion and that I was doing a good job with the short films and the recognition in 'Naalaya Iyakkunar' TV show, they supported and encouraged me.
'Mercury' is about a big company exploiting a small town. There is a place in Tamil Nadu called Kodaikanal. It had a thermometer factory, which would dump the mercury into the river. This affected a lot of people. This incident is the inspiration for this film.
For a cinematographer, every frame has to be important.
I was doing it the amateur way, doing everything myself till 'Naalaya Iyakunar.' They said, 'You need crew members'; they insisted on having proper production values. So I learnt a lot about making films for that show.
'Mercury' is one of the most challenging projects I have worked on. From the nuances of the actors' expressions to the minute technicals of the movie, everything needed to be monitored and looked into. The actors were required to emote purely with their face.
I did a lot of short films before doing feature films.
After doing two feature films, I got an idea for a thriller film and felt this could be made without any dialogues.
In India, we always look at feature films as a progression over short films. But, abroad, people make a living making short films. The revenue might not be as much as in feature films, but the return on investment is good.
If a star film does not have a good story, it will not run. This will make stars choose good scripts consciously.
The core plot of 'Mercury' is so gripping that when I thought of making it as a silent film, it only made it more interesting. Once I finished writing the first draft, making a silent film that's both thrilling and engaging seemed possible. When the film team read the final script, they felt the same.
When I thought of writing for Rajini sir, I told myself it will be a really cool character with a very happy-go-lucky attitude. We took such a character and placed him in a strong story, and I believe, as a combination, it has worked wonders.
Even during my short film days, I approached theatres with the idea of playing them during the interval. They thought it was problematic to screen an offbeat short film in between a commercial film.
I grew up idolising Rajinikanth, and I've always wanted to see him in a certain way. When I knew I was going to write for Rajini sir, I wanted to show him in the most stylish way and bring back his mannerisms and machismo.
Rajini sir gave me an opportunity to work with him because he liked my work, especially my style of narration and dialogues. Now, I can't go out and make something very different just to please him. He wanted me to make 'Petta' the way I want it and with my sensibilities intact.
A theatrical release is not possible for a short film.
A short film is not a shortened feature film. It has a soul of its own.
When I was working in Bangalore, short film making was fun - almost like a weekend getaway for me and my friends from the software industry.
Ever since I made the short film 'Black And White,' which had almost no dialogues, the idea of making a silent feature film fascinated me.
If one makes a short film with reasonable technical finesse, it will cost between Rs. 50,000 and Rs. one lakh. That's a lot of money for someone starting off.
On an average, any short film will cost at least Rs. 60,000. Apart from film festivals, where is the avenue to get that money back?
