Prithviraj plays a cop in Ivide . But he not in khaki again. This time around he is Varun Blake, a police officer in Atlanta in the United States (U.S.). The actor has reached that stage in his career where he has the luxury of choosing his roles and scripts. Instead of nurturing an image or playing it safe, Prithviraj took risks; he rooted for scripts and characters that did not necessarily fall into the template of the hero as we know it. So, when the young actor does decide to pay a police officer again Ivide , releasing today, he must have his reasons for doing so.
Firstly, it is directed by none other than Shyamaprasad, who has this wonderful ability to reach within his actors to discover his characters. The two are working together, nearly 10 years after the award-winning Akale . Secondly, “it is not just a cop. Varun Blake, my character, is a complex, insecure and flawed person and it is that person I am enacting,” says Prithviraj.
While talking about Varun on the phone, Prithviraj explains why he found the entire movie a new experience and what was challenging about the film shot completely in the U.S.
“When I read Ajayan Venugopalan’s script that Shyam ettan had sent me, I was captivated by Varun. It is an investigative thriller but the movie is more than that. It is about this man struggling to come to terms with many niggling conflicts in his life and personality. He is an American citizen of Indian origin but he discovers that his thoughts, perspectives and his sensibilities are not in sync with his upbringing. Racial tensions and social and economic strains form the many layers in the film that also happens to be an investigative thriller about a crime. That he is a cop is just one layer in the film,” he says.
Prithviraj who has come a long way since his stint as Neil D'Costa in Akale , says what is unique about Shyamaprasad’s style of working is his “willingness to invest time in an actor.” He adds: “Most directors spent a lot of time on the design of a film, how it should be shot, where the lights should be placed and so on. But given the constraints of our cinema, not many directors get the time to sit with an actor and invest time in him. Shyam ettan does that every time. At the same time, he is not a person who is hard and inflexible about how an actor goes about a scene or a character. He is willing to listen to you and if he is convinced that there is something in your argument, he is willing to try it out your way. That makes it a creative experience for any actor and I enjoy that.”
Ivide removes the hype and gloss off the lives of non-resident Indians trying to adapt in a competitive terrain that does not always make allowances for those challenged by the system. The filmmaker’s attempt has been to capture the subject from a different point of view and Ivide ’s crew of technicians, all Americans, have brought in their own take of situations and people to enhance the narrative and treatment of the movie.
“It was interesting to watch the American crew come up with new perspectives and aesthetics. For instance, going by my experience, I would imagine that a certain dialogue would involve a close up of the actor but they would see it in a different light. It was new for Shyam ettan as well because Ivide is an investigative thriller, a new genre for him,” points out Prithviraj.
In sync sound meant that the actors had to learn and deliver the lines during the shooting. While Varun seems to be in tune with his ambience, Prithviraj says there were times he wished he had the “liberty of revisiting his dialogues to get the drawl and accent right. I did try my best and tried to get the accent right while interacting with the actors and crew,” he adds. The actor also sings in the movie, under the baton of Gopi Sundar.
As Varun aims high to reach his goal, for Prithviraj, Ivide has given him the opportunity to benchmark his own standards by yet another notch.
Currently working on the movie Amar, Akbar, Anthony , the actor has much to look forward to in 2015, as producer and actor. While Picket 43 , his first film in 2015 did well, he has two major releases later this year – Ennu Ninte Moideen and Double Barrel , which is also produced by his August Cinema.
Reel and real
Varun Blake is an American cop of Indian origin. However, is it his complexion that defines Varun or is it his upbringing? And is that where his insecurities and prejudices stem from? Tricky questions of identity and belonging that impact on the professional and personal life of Varun promise to make this one of Prithviraj’s most interesting characters he has essayed on screen.
