| Q. How did you choose the script for you directorial debut 12B? | 
Learning the ABC of acting.
Shaam with director Jeeva. |
| Ans. I chose this script primarily because it was different. The story is cubical. The hero has a double role. It is not a role in which two brothers get lost in a thiruvizha (fair) when young and after a couple of songs and fights find each other. I cannot tell you more about it without telling you the story. It is a simple story picturised very simply so that a Kuppan and a Suppan of some remote village will understand and appreciate the movie. |
| Q. Why is the movie called 12B? |
| Ans. That's because the story is interwoven with a bus ride. I could have called the movie "Bus" or something like that, but I felt that the name 12B would make it stand out.
When I was P. C. Sreeram's assistant I lived in Kodambakkam and I had to take the bus, 12B, to reach his house everyday. I had to be there by 9 o'clock because by 9.05 a.m. he would leave for the studio. Then I would not know my program for the day.
So that bus ride and getting to my destination on time was a very important part of my day. Similarly, the same bus ride would have connected many others to some important part of their day. A journey is an important part of my movie so I felt that this name (12B) was appropriate.
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| Q. How was the transition from a cinematographer to a director? |
| Ans. My training as an assistant was a collage. We learned about lighting, costume designing, directing, and arranging a shoot. We had to know and handle every part of the production we were involved in.
As for transition, it has been a continuous process. When I was in college I used to love watching movies. I would watch them for the fun of it. When I joined P. C. Sir, I started seeing the details that went into the scenes.
Then when I went behind the camera I started watching every scene from the camera angle, analysed the light and composition. Now when I watch some movies I think, "How can they do something as bad as that?" On the other hand, if it is a movie like Lagaan, I think, "How did they achieve that effect? I must do that."
Sometimes I want to go back to those college days when I could just sit back and enjoy a movie.
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Jothika and Moon Moon Sen with the Director, getting under the skin of their characters. | Q. As a director you have to oversee all departments. How was that experience? |
| Ans. The industry has changed a lot now. Earlier the director had to physically sit and give step-by-step instructions about what was to be done. Today everybody wants to be the best in what they do. They feel driven to show that they can do the best work. The director just has to tell the technicians what he wants. They do the rest. Because everyone knows that only the best can survive. This way my tension as a director was less. |
| Q. You have used Avid to edit the song and fight sequences. Why? |
| Ans. Editing with Avid gives a lot of scope for creativity. If you feel like it, you can take the Avid home and edit whenever you want. You can even turn the film upside down, shift an entire section of the film and do all the effects. With Avid, I could try different things in the song and dance sequences. |
| Q. You are mixing the sound of this movie on Pro Tools. How important is digital sound to your movie? |
| Ans. All my films, from Hindustani onwards, have been on DTS. I think it is an amazing format. |
