“The room is upstairs,” says Shaji N. Karun, climbing up a wooden staircase. The room the filmmaker leads me to is spacious with bright floral Chettinad tiles. There is a neatly made bed near the entrance. Curtain-draped windows in the room filters in the sunlight, creating a play of light and darkness, much like the frames his films are known for.
A shelf that occupies one end of the room to the other holds an assortment of books he has collected over the years, an audio cassette player, and images of gods and goddesses. There is a small square table with chairs around it in the centre of the room. The numerous awards he has won for his various works stand proud on a corner table.
This is Shaji’s creative space, the place where he has worked on the screenplays of all the films he has directed post- Piravi . Till Piravi , Shaji was living in a rented, thatched single bedroom house in this land. When the owner of the property decided to sell the plot, Shaji bought it.
While re-designing the house, Shaji was keen to have a workspace of his own. “My architect understood what I needed and ensured that the room was spacious, well lit and well ventilated.
The room gives him the privacy and solitude he needs to conceptualise his works. “I write the rough story lines of my works, be it a movie, a short film or a documentary, here. After I complete a film, I start thinking of what to work on next. Ideas and thoughts flood my mind. This space of mine helps me sieve through those grains of thoughts and pick the right one,” says Shaji, director of movies such as Piravi , Swaham , Vanaprastham , Kutty Shrank and so on.
The man who enjoys watching the sunrise, says, he is an early riser and often starts his work early. “See that door to the right? It leads to a verandah that has a charupadi. I often step out to see the sunrise or to take short breaks from my work.”
The National award- winning filmmaker who was the first chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy and the executive chairman of the International Film Festival of Kerala from 1988 to 2001, has viewed many a film in this room. “I watched the films of various directors before adding them to the Academy archive or introducing them to the festivals as I wanted to ensure that the films deserved to be there. Earlier, I kept a wall free to project the works I was shooting so that I could spot errors or changes that needed to be made. Now, I view them on my computer.”
While the formative stages of his stories and screenplays are done from the comforts of home, the rest is done at various places.
“My strength lies in visuals, not words. That is why I often collaborate with other writers. Take for instance my directorial debut Piravi , I had the story with me even while I was studying at FTII (Film and Television Institute of India). It took Reghunath Paleri just four days to turn it into a script as I had a clear storyline in my head. As I collaborate with other writers, we meet up, stay and work at various venues. That way we can discuss and argue on what works best on screen. I often visit Cheruthuruthi when working on a script. I enjoy spending time by the Bharathapuzha; it inspires my visual senses. It reminds me of how the Ashtamudi lake inspired me to take up the camera. I grew up by the lake. I remember the magnificent sunrises, the still waters, the way the coconut trees on the opposite bank seemed to multiply in the reflection...,” says Shaji, who started his career in the film industry as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as G. Aravindan, K.G. George and M. T. Vasudevan Nair.
Whenever he encounters a creative block, Shaji often goes on long train rides. “The change of sights, sounds, smells, tastes...they give me new perspectives to the film I am working on. Vanaprastham , for instance, was developed on such a journey.”
The filmmaker is currently working on Oolu . It focusses on the trauma of a rape victim who is a minor.
(A series that explores the workspaces of creative people in the city and its suburbs)
