The reality teaser of ‘Paradesi’ has movie lovers fuming over Bala’s method of work
Tamil director Bala has a devout fan following. His unconventional films earned him loyal fans. His latest film Paradesi, releasing this Friday, has the potential to take Bala’s work beyond the confines of Tamil Nadu. Set in the 1930s, the film deals with issues of slavery in tea plantations. Anurag Kashyap’s Phantom Films will be releasing Paradesi nationally with subtitles. While the going is good, perhaps the team wanted something extra to make the film a talking point.
On Tuesday evening, Bala’s B-Studios uploaded a ‘reality teaser’ on YouTube showing the making of Paradesi. Film fraternity and moviegoers reacted with shock at the footage showing Bala chiding, slapping, caning and even kicking his actors while enacting a scene. Within hours, the video went viral on social networking sites. The initial reaction of disbelief was followed by disgust at Bala’s method of work.
The actors — Adharvaa, Dhansika and Vedhika — came to the director’s defence and tweeted that the video only showed him enacting a scene and he wasn’t using a real stick to hit his actors. But their voices went unnoticed in the uproar against the video.
Are filmmakers justified in slapping their actors to get them to emote right? In an interview available on YouTube, William Friedkin talks about slapping an actor during the making of Exorcist: “He was a priest, not an actor and he couldn’t reach the emotional point. I took him aside, asked him if he loved me; if he trusted me and he said yes. I hit him as hard as I could across his face. The shock brought forth the tears and later he embraced and thanked me,” the director says in this interview.
Tamil cinema itself has many such examples. It’s well known that directors like Bharathiraja have slapped their actresses to make them cry. Closer home, filmmaker Teja has a similar reputation. When contacted, Teja said, “There’s nothing wrong with it as long as the actors do not object to it.” As a camera assistant, Teja recalls watching Kamal Haasan receiving ‘mottikaayalu’ or a ‘knock on the head’ from K. Balachander during the shoot of Punnagai Mannan. “He wasn’t getting it right after 13 takes and KB sir did that to make him act right,” says Teja. Years later, when Teja directed Nuvvu Nenu, he faced a similar situation with Anita who wasn’t able to cry and emote. “It was a mutual understanding. She said I could slap her if it would help her give the right shot and I did. At times you beg, plead or shout at the actors to draw the emotions. Slapping is justified if the actors don’t object to it,” says Teja.
Whether the end justifies the means is debatable but using it as a publicity tool, like in the case of Paradesi, leaves a sour note.
Keywords: Paradesi, Tamil director Bala, Tamil cinema, telugu cinema
Haters gonna hate... :)
I just saw the footage...It looks like the demonstration of the director with rubber stick so that the actor supposed to do that can do it better...This should be the truth and I do not think Bala beats them to get performance...But..But...why Bala chose to edit in such a way as if he actually beats them? What he did is to show the actor how to do? might be right..but what he shows in the footage sends a nausty message...Bala might explain this after a good publicity..but that will be too late...playing with people's sentiments or emotions....
Bala is a perfectionist and aims for perfection from his cast in every single scene. Even Bharathiraaja had a reputation of slapping people around if they did not get a take right. It would be absurd to make Bala out to be some kind of sadist for that is hardly the kind of person he is.
While it might have been true that KB sir had indeed did the "Knock on
the Head" to get the right emotion from Kamal sir,we all know that
never did either of them used it as an USP for promoting any of their
work.So far such things stay between the director and actor,it's ok,a
genuine film lover and a die hard fan of good cinema is ultimately
interested in the content of the film and the quality of the work,the
real fan is least interested in watching whether the director slapped
or kicked his actors to get the emotions right.The moment the film
makers start uploading such content in social media,they risk being
perceived as being self indulgent than creative....
once Mr. Samy did the same to Padmapriya for the movie 'Mirugam'. However teh actress objected and became an issue then it was solved.I think higher the degree of brutality of the director and suffereing of teh actors, higher will be the perfect scenes. What an irony!
From the videos it was so obvious that Bala is just enacting as the characters follow him doing the same. The disbelief and shock after seeing shows the current euphoria of sensationalizing everything and over reactions from netizens.. Author as well as all those has to grow up.
Dear Sir
The actors are not bonded labourers. Thay are all grown up people with their families. The way Mr. Bala treated them in order to get best acting out of them is not generally acceptable. Even the school tearchers are instructed not to beat, slap or humiliate small kids and students. They are actually GURUs. Mr. Bala is only a director and not a Guru.
What would be the reaction of the family members of the actors of PARDESI.
Bala clearly is rehearsing/showing the fellow actor who will be hitter
on how to perform the scene on receiver. Your words make it seem that
all hits in the video is Bala trying to get the emotions is incorrect.
And Teja how about we slap you when your movies are flop? Oh! God you
people are just taking movies not tilting the world, so why this
arrogance? All the directors who assault their crew should be booked
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