When you watch an R. Kannan movie, what stands out are the characters — they come alive on screen, eclipsing the actors. The credit goes to the director and his skill at etching roles and casting the right face. “Screenplay is always king; the role has to envelop the actor, not the other way around. In my five films so far, I have cast Vinay Rai, Bharath, Jiiva, Arya and now Vemal in roles that couldn’t have been played by anyone else,” says Kannan.
Kannan credits this talent to the experience he gained working as an associate director with Mani Ratnam on several of the latter’s films. “The most important lesson I learnt is that one should have a bound script in every sense of the word. I even prepare my storyboard, locations and situations well in advance. Another important thing is fixing a sensible budget and sticking to it. A meticulous producer works out the economics based on star value, story content and other directorial inputs to assess his return on investment and profits. All my films so far have met this criteria and that brings good producers and directors together,” he says.
Oru Oorla Rendu Raja may sound like a typical fairytale. But Kannan came up with the storyline based on an incident he read about some years ago. “That incident forms the nucleus of the script. OORR is a travel story with the first half set on a train and the second half on the road. It is about two friends, Azhagu and Michael (Vemal and Soori), from Tuticorin on their way to Chennai by train. They meet Priya Anand, a medical student. Certain things happen that changes their lives. Each of them has a goal to achieve, but whether they succeed or not is what the story is about. While there is love and banter, there is also an important social message in the script,” says Kannan.
The highlight is the train journey. “We hired a train at Mayavaram and shot for 15 days. Coordinating the whole sequence was indeed a challenge, as was managing the crowds that gathered to watch. Almost 95 per cent of the scenes were shot on the train, with very few shot on a set. We even shot an entire song sequence at a railway station.” ( See box for lyrics ).
After five films, Kannan’s thirst for interesting scripts and talented actors seems to have grown. “I have three scripts ready; in fact, even as I am working on a film, I am conceiving a future film. But my dream is to make a film like Taare Zameen Par , which was not only a commercial success but also conveyed a strong social message. I know it is difficult to make something like that in Tamil, considering the segmented audience and market economics. Nevertheless, I will pursue my dream and, if need be, will even produce and direct it one day, if only to satisfy my inner urge,” says Kannan.
