R Parthiban on ‘Iravin Nizhal’: I’m married to cinema and need to treat her well
The Hindu
Radhakrishnan Parthiban discusses the intricacies involved in executing a single-shot film in ‘Iravin Nizhal’, releasing next week
R Parthiban is still amazed by the bravado he had when Housefull (1999) went into production without a script. He had three cameras, a few hundred junior artists and a tighter budget, given that it was a home production. Yet, Parthiban says he felt like a king when they shot the film in Madurai.
Perhaps the seed — of taking complete control of the film he was making — must have been sown around this time. Life has come full circle for Parthiban with his upcoming Iravin Nizhal, which is conceived, directed, acted and edited by him.
Parthiban held test screenings for over 1000 people so far, most of whom had positive things to say about the film. Yet, the filmmaker is anxious about the reception on the first day, first show. “I just want the audience to come in large numbers. That continues to be a dream,” says Parthiban, hinting at the fact that he has been solely carrying the weight of Iravin Nizhal on his shoulders. Excerpts from an edited interview:
I think it started even before Housefull and in Puthiya Pathai [directorial debut] in terms of the way the story was told. Whenever I pitched my first film to producers, they rejected it. Puthiya Pathai broke a set of rules that the mainstream cinema followed at that point.
This maattram [change] started from there, although there were thadumatram [slips] in the middle. The confidence you have in your first film drops by the time you make your fourth film.
Sometimes I wonder who came up with these rules and formulas. Writer Sujatha sir once said that there are 17 ways to write a screenplay but it is still possible for someone to come up with an 18th possibility. That is what I’ve been trying to do. I am not afraid of failures since I got used to it. Since I don’t make too much money from films, the business aspect doesn’t interest me.
Right now, I am married to cinema and I need to treat her well. The success of Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam reaffirmed my belief that audiences are intelligent. I want to cater to their intellect, which is why I started to do experimental films. The problem with that is, audiences don’t immediately receive a film like Oththa Seruppu which has a limited shelf life, compared to a Vijay film.