Director Shankar on ‘Indian 2’, challenges of a sequel, employing new technology and more

Veteran filmmaker Shankar talks about reuniting with Kamal Haasan after 28 years for ‘Indian 2’, where his brand of stories stems from, and completing 30 years in the industry

A word that has become synonymous with director Shankar is brahmandam (grandeur). This extends to his office as well. Amidst the scent of candles and floor-to-ceiling windows with drapes matching the furniture around, stands a 6-foot-tall illuminated robot from Enthiran. Seated on a long couch is the filmmaker, visibly unperturbed with mere days left for the release of Indian 2, his highly-anticipated reunion with Kamal Haasan. Excerpts from an interview :

After Indian’s release, it was Kamal sir who shared the idea of wanting to do a sequel and though I wanted too as well, I didn’t have a story then. I told him that we have delivered everything we had and if I do get another plot, I will run it by him and if he likes it, we could possibly do a sequel.

The challenge itself is the first part (laughs). We’ve shown everything in the first film — how Senapathy is as a person, his background, character, his prowess over the martial art of varma kalai, his anger towards societal injustice and even his family. The challenge was to come up with something new for the sequel. What he deals with stays the same but the situations have changed and what he does forms the story of Indian 2.

Indian 2 is a different story altogether. It’s about what the character of Senapathy would do in today’s modern age. The first part of the film is like a Scotch whiskey. It has brewed well in our minds for a long time and no matter what fresh ideas we come up with, comparisons will be inevitable. The thought Indian 2 carries is bigger than the first part; it’s a pan-Indian thought. The first film happens within the State of Tamil Nadu but the sequel covers events across the country and naturally, it’s bigger.

Indian thatha is an embodiment of anger. When I was studying, I knew the struggles and lengths I had to go to to get a birth certificate, income certificate or community certificate. So, when I became a filmmaker, I wanted to turn that into a film. It’s the same sense of frustration every common man shares. Senapathy is a product of reverse engineering that anger.

The idea was to show a man who could justify the anger he carries. That’s how we cracked the freedom fighter angle; he’s someone who fought for the country. He is someone who has saved us from enemies who came from outside and now that he has spotted such nemesis within us who are inflicting harm to the betterment of the nation, he wants to take them down as well.

Stories come from our very own lives and we turn them into larger-than-life tales. We put the protagonist in a ‘what if’ scenario and come up with a plot. When stories come from within us, there’s a sense of authenticity to them and they resonate with us. A belief is that if 0.5% of people watching the film can have a change of heart, I would be happy. I strongly feel that films create an impact and pave the way for positive change.