VK Prakash (VKP) is quick to start the interview with a disclaimer. “ Praana is not based on late journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh’s life. Rajesh Jayaraman had written the script way before her untimely death. It is pure coincidence that Praana deals with society’s intolerance towards writers,” says the two-time National award-winning director over the phone from Shimla where he is currently shooting Ruskin Bond’s The Ghost in the Garden and The Wind on Haunted Hill for a web series titled Parchayee — Ghost Stories.
Nithya Menen does a solo act in Praana , a multi-lingual psychological horror thriller that releases on January 18. “While going through the script, I felt that one character sufficed to bring the script to life. I had worked with Nithya in Poppins (Malayalam) and Aidondla Aidu (Kannada) and she came to mind after I read the script. She is an incredibly talented actor and I feel she has an amazing screen presence and will be able to carry off a film on her own. Nithya too felt the movie could be handled by a solo actor after going through the script. Although she was hesitant at first, she loves a challenge as much as I do and got on board,” says VKP.
According to him, Praana is the first film in India to use live sync sound surround format. Nithya had to shoot each scene four times as the film is made in four languages — Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada.
Nithya Menen on the set of VK Prakash’s Praana
“Nithya is comfortable with all four languages and so we thought, why not? She helped in scripting the dialogues for the film so that she would be more comfortable while shooting in sync sound. We didn’t want to compromise the audio elements by dubbing for a particular language. Besides, dubbing is no longer fashionable in the industry. Shooting in sync sound lends depth to a film as everything is captured in real time. Although it was physically and mentally draining doing a scene multiple times, she was a great sport.”
Resul Pookutty, the film’s sound editor, has captured the ambient noises and not just the dialogues as is usually done in sync sound movies. “He has used Brahma Microphone, a current go-to mic for a lot of the top VR professionals in the world. It can capture the minutest of sounds from all four directions,” says VKP, who has Malayalam, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada and Hindi movies in his kitty.
In Praana , Nithya plays an English writer, Thara Anuradha, who focusses on social issues. Her works, however, are not well-received by everyone. The film, shot mostly in Kumily, sees Thara staying in a “haunted bungalow” in the hills.
Nithya Menen in a still from VK Prakash’s Praana
VKP laughs when we ask him what leads Thara to the bungalow. “That will spoil the suspense of the story. Just like I will not say why Dulquer Salmaan and Kunchacko Boban are mentioned in the credits.”
Instead of dark, foreboding tones, PC Sreeram who cranks the camera, has captured the frames of the film in rich, sepia tones to lend it a colonial touch to match the atmosphere and regal feel of the bungalow. The film has three songs. As the film required music with a touch of jazz, VKP has teamed up with Louis Banks, his second collaboration with the musician after Punaradhivasam . Ratheesh Vega and new kid on the block Arun Vijay too have composed tunes for the film.
The trailer, which was screened at the Cannes International Film Festival recently, garnered attention. The film, produced by SRaj Productions and Real Studio, will have the audience at the edge of their seats, says VKP.
An alumnus of School of Drama, Thrissur, VKP, who dons small roles in films “due to the insistence of friends”, will soon start the shoot of King Fish , a film with Anoop Menon.
Director VK Prakash
Notes from Shimla
A fan of Ruskin Bond, VKP says the directors working on the web series Parchayee — Ghost Stories were given the freedom to pick the stories they wanted to shoot.
“I liked the tales behind The Ghost in the Garden and The Wind on Haunted Hill and so I chose them. I am lucky to be able to work with veterans in the film industry like Farida Jalal and Dalip Tahil for the series.” Shooting the stories were a challenge, he says, as they were shooting at minus four in Shimla.
