Prabu Solomon is likely to have the best Christmas of his life. Success seems to be the flavour of the season for the man who has a thing for festivals. The fireworks that set off at Deepavali with the release of his dream project, ‘Mynaa' continue to glow undimmed to the run up to Christmas that would mark 50 days of the film's release.
Besides with ‘Mynaa' being screened at the Dubai Film Festival recently, the director is anticipating to create waves on the film festival circuit.
A man of unshakeable faith, Prabu believes alike in miracles and in making dreams come true- ‘Mynaa' incidentally was a bit of both. But all that the serious filmmaker says: “I wanted to make an honest movie.''
The man has the markings of a serious and dedicated filmmaker written all over him. And is neither the one who throws a fuss. Of the ‘little bird' that has winged its way into people's hearts, he says, “Mynaa was my dream of 17 years. From, the time I entered the industry as an assistant director, this is the movie I always wanted to make. This is how I wanted to show my story. It has been possible only now.”
His attempt to break away from formulated cinema was successful as Prabu had a free rein. “I had complete freedom to work on my dream. I did not have to make too many compromises nor did I have to explain to anybody what I intended doing.”
Prabu revelled in the uninhibited artistic freedom and managed not only to take a few risks and emerge unscathed, but to break a few stereotypes in the process.
“Ours was a small-budget film, but that did not stop us from straying off the beaten track. We let the camera linger for long moments in few scenes, we had characters picked from the village who could identify with their roles, we travelled more than 10,000 kilometres till we zeroed in on the village and the scene where the bus slips of the cliff took 25 days to set up and shoot.”
Mynaa smacks of raw passion, convincing characters and a nativity that is authentic. ‘That is because it is inspired from life. Every shot is packed with emotion and truth', he justifies.
Explaining how the screenplay was triggered from a simple scene he narrates, “I happened to see an accused cross the road, handcuffed to a cop in Saidapet. The policeman had to pander to the whims of the accused and stop for him to have a smoke. I simply thought what if these two characters had stories of their own, what if they shared a relationship.” That scene, you learn was the beginning of the ‘journey of love', as the tagline of the film goes.
‘Mynaa' has been a revelation of sorts for the director whose movies have hinged on city-based themes. “The movie is merely the first step of a dream. It has taken me all these years to decide the kind of movies I should make. Ninety percent of our population lives in villages and I've realized I want to be part of that.”
The experience of shooting the movie and spending six months in the country has changed his outlook on life, he reveals. “I was inspired by their lifestyle. People in villages live for the day. I discovered so many stories out there waiting to be told,” he says with conviction, adding “I want to seek this nativity in my films. I want to make pure Dravidian films.”
The boy from Neyveli has come a long way from his initial attempts at translating his emotions onto celluloid. But be it ‘Lee', ‘Ladaam', ‘King' or ‘Kokki', his ventures may not have raked in the moolah but they defined his style of film-making- the urge to steer clear of the trodden path. “I have made a name for myself for wanting to be different,” he admits with a smile.
Prabu feels that film-making is a gift. Having spent his childhood around the lignite mines of Neyveli, he believes that films were what he wanted to do all his life.
“I guess I always wanted to be a film-maker but that idea didn't take form until college. But as a boy, I was fascinated with the idea of telling stories through pictures. There was only one theatre in town and I lapped up all the movies that were screened there. I also used to collect illustrated comics and make albums out of them.”
But his film-making ambitions took concrete shape at St. Josephs College, Tiruchi. His resourcefulness and ingenuity did not go unnoticed even then. “I remember that friends used to eagerly await my plays in college,” he reminiscences. “I used to experiment with cinematic techniques on stage. I tried to create moods by tinkering with lighting and all my plays used to have comprehensive stage settings to create a feel of the situation.”
He fondly recalls the days he spent watching movies in now shunned-into- oblivion Sippy Theatre where he had his first brush with Hollywood and an urge to explore World cinema. Setting out to seek his fortunes in Kollywood two decades back, today life has come a full circle.
All geared up for his next project with Lingusamy, he is determined to do deliver a commercial and critical hit.
“The success of ‘Mynaa' has only left me with greater responsibility and fear. But I am my own rival and I know I have the confidence to better myself”.
The superstar reportedly hugged Prabu and said he would have been happy to have played a small role in the movie. Whereas, veteran actor, Kamal Hassan, said after watching ‘Mynaa' that he was reassured that good films were still made in Tamil cinema. But such eulogy of the highest order has not turned Prabu's head.
“Success is part of a continuing journey. It is all about hitting the bull‘s eye, and doing it as often as you can. I cannot rest on the laurels for long. I am already raring to go,” he signs off with the shadow of a smile that betrays his unbridled enthusiasm.
Prabu's Pet Peeves
Addiction: Has a compulsive habit of watching two movies a day.
Childhood fear: Mathematics- “The reason why I chose to graduate in Literature”.
Travel freak: Loves to travel and scout for locations. Post-Christmas, will see him embarking on an expedition, scouting for locations. “I plan to go up all the way to Ladakh.”
Nature's child: Loves to commune with nature and spend quiet time brooding. “I relish solitude”.
Screen idol: Balu Mahendra. “He taught us the difference between telling a story and showing it”.
Published - December 23, 2010 08:31 pm IST
