Setting the backdrop

Suresh Kumar K., who runs Cine Props, has been renting out props for films for the last two decades

March 21, 2012 05:18 pm | Updated 05:18 pm IST

Suresh Kumar at Cine Props. Photo: S. Gopakumar

Suresh Kumar at Cine Props. Photo: S. Gopakumar

Cine Props, a non-descript vintage building at Thycaud, is a one-stop stopover for Malayalam film directors shooting in the city. Unless you are in the film industry, chances are that you will give this place a miss. ‘Cine Props,' with just a humble signboard to announce its existence to the world, looks almost apologetic for being there. In spite of the general rundown look, this is the place to scout for properties that give that so-real-look to a set.

Stacked here are brassware, antiques, furniture, antique and modern, curios, props needed to put up a set like a police station, a hospital or a court, paintings, white metal and copper items, dummy books and weapons, masks…

It is a scene right out a movie and therein lies a tale. Suresh Kumar K., who began Cine Props nearly two decades ago, wanted to be a part of the film industry, somehow. “My friend Boban, an art director, suggested that I should try out this business. He felt it would click, because most film shootings were happening in the city at that time,” says Suresh. He has written scripts for a few films and penned lyrics for some serials as well. “Now, I am not at all involved in the creative side,” says Suresh.

Instead Suresh has found a role that has made him an indispensable part of several films. Every six months he sets out on a trip across India on the lookout for “unique artefacts.” He usually gets it from North India, especially from places in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan or Gujarat.

“I'm so attached to my collection that my friends often say it is like an addiction! But I treat these things as my asset. It isn't easy running the business, because you have to maintain the items regularly,” he says.

Now his rented building is filled to the brim with props and there is another godown for the furniture.

The collection

Different types of bells, a lock in the shape of a fish (“from Aligarh”), an arecanut cutter, a ‘bhasmakoodu,' a bunch of brass wall hangings, a casket used to keep a‘vilambaram' or a royal proclamation are some of the items he cherishes. He has an exhaustive collection of furniture as well, which include five to six varieties of ‘aatukattil.'

Usually, the art director and his team come and select the items they want. “I give them on daily rent. At times, they take it as a package, say for 30 days, in which case I give them a discount,” he says. Recently, he gave the props needed to set up an ‘illam' in Guruvayur for a movie, and items for a ‘police station' and a ‘hospital' for the new Anoop Menon-flick Namukku Parkkan . “The police station props include almirahs, telephone, dummy guns, and handcuffs,” Suresh adds. Another forthcoming work is Dileep's Nadodimannan . He also gives items for shootings happening outside the city.

Unfortunately, Suresh doesn't keep a tab on the number of movies he has been associated with. “I give props for Tamil films and for serials (like Sree Padmanabham on Amrita TV) too. These days, props are provided for weddings! I have a big collection of indoor plants, which, however, is provided only to select clients,” he says.

Movies galore

The journey started with Daddy and has covered some 125 films in Malayalam alone, the recent ones being Salt N Pepper, Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty, and Ee Adutha Kalathu. The list has movies like Sakshal Sreeman Chathunni (“especially the magic pot”), Samooham, Sathyaprathinja, Rakthasakshikal Zindabad, Gandhari, Guru, Thacholi Varghese Chekavar, Mahasamudram, Mayavi, Hallo, Red Chillies, Oru Naal Varum, August 15, IG, Pakal nakshathrangal, Theja Bhai and Family, Thriller, Janakan, and Makaramanju (“they needed different types of candlestands for a song sequence”).

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.