When he was in high school, 8 Thottakal ’s director Sri Ganesh had an affinity for the theatrical. He started out by assisting Crazy Mohan and his troupe on their stage plays. By the time he finished college, he was head over heels with cinema, particularly with Mysskin’s work. “I watched Nandalala four times in the theatre, even though it ran to empty seats most of the time.”
Ganesh had heard Mysskin had very little patience with people who sought to become his assistants but set his mind on meeting him anyway. When he did, the director asked him: “Which film of mine do you like the most?” The usual reply he got was Anjathey . “But I said Nandalala ,” Ganesh says. “He said it didn’t get a good run at the theatres. But I didn’t change my opinion.” Soon enough, Ganesh found himself as part of Mysskin’s crew on Onaayum Aatukuttiyum .
The 27-year-old filmmaker says he believes in the power of disciplined storytelling, no matter how small the film. “Word-of-mouth will do the rest,” he says. This seems to be the reason he undertook 8 Thottakal as his first project. As to why he chose to tell the tale of a policeman, Ganesh attributes it to real-life incidents and literature. “I like crime fiction a lot, especially the mystery series of Inspector Martin Beck.” He also had a childhood friend who had a policeman for a father. For the film, he even spent considerable time speaking to the cop who was part of the 2012 Velachery encounters, where five men suspected of robbing banks in the city were shot dead. In fact, Nasser’s character in his story is partly based on this policeman.
Ganesh’s film, which releases today, has already garnered some positive reviews from its preview shows. Karthick Naren, the director of Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru tweeted his approval saying 8 Thottakal “unfolds effortlessly. Must watch for its effective narration & performances.”
Ganesh says he has at least two more bounded scripts in store. “But I’m a very reluctant director. I would rather continue writing.”
