His confidence stems from the experience gained working as an assistant to art director Sabu Cyril for five films. In all, Arusamy has assisted several art directors for over 20 films, including a long stint in director Shankar’s Enthiran. “That in itself is a terrific learning experience. Besides this, working in over 60 commercials has added to the knowledge of art direction,” says Arusamy, who is currently working on 6, Kalyana Samayal Sadham and Kappal. “For 6, we created a Bhopal-township scenario in the Binny Mills compound in Pallavaram. For Kalyana Samayal Sadham, the requirement was to create six different setups in one studio floor so that several scenes could be shot seamlessly. Every film is a challenge, and I try to give something more than what the director envisages,” he says.
Rooted in tradition
After his first film Karutha Kannan C/o Rekla Race, director Senthil Anandan is now making Kizhakkusanthu Kathavu En 108. Says the director, “When we forget our traditions and adopt Western culture, we will eventually find that it doesn’t suit our lifestyle. In most cases, we yearn to get back to our roots. We have to adopt what is best suited to our lifestyle.” Subash and Hasika play the lead in the film.
Reality bites
Director Desika’s upcoming film Vaalu is based on a real-life person the director had known from a young age till that person’s death. That individual came to be known as Vaalu, and the film is said to capture his life and travails. “He was terribly affected by love, and that led to several twists and turns in his life. I have shot the film in the actual places he grew up and got involved in antisocial activities,” says Desika. Actor Akhil plays Vaalu.
