Wednesday Sep 19 2007, Trivendrum

Shyamaprasad: “Every film is a new experience”

He has the appearance of the ‘guy next door’ with no star image or star tag attached to himAnd it was such a person who was needed to do the role of Jayakumar, the husband of Deepthi, the heroine.

How would you rate his performance?

He has done a wonderful job.His performance is convincing to the core and feedbacks too indicate that people have liked him in the new role.And Ramya Krishnan.She too seems to be the best choice for the role of Bela.Tell us about that.Ramya is one of the most sensible of actresses in the South.

I had always had a good opinion about her, even while seeing her in commercial films like Panchathanthiram (Tamil) and all.And I knew that she had all that was required for the portrayal of the character of Bela.And the ambience or the atmosphere of the film too was something that was not Kerala’s.And that is where Ramya Krishnan perfectly fitted in.She too has done full justice to the role too.


What kind of changes did you bring about while adapting the novel Heerak Deepthi on celluloid?

Novel and Cinema are two entirely different media.And hence changes were imperative.And moreover we are living in a totally different age, compared to the period that forms the backdrop for Heerak Deepthi.The novel had as the backdrop the post-independent scenario and had Calcutta as the setting- the Calcutta that was awakening to industrialization.But now we are living in the age of globalization.

The sense of alienation that is tagged to every individual in this era of globalization is something to be noted.And all this had to kept in mind while recreating the story.We have recreated it in such a manner that it reflects the spirit, the moods, and the characteristic features of our times as objectively as possible.

What was it that attracted you most to the story?

It was the human element in the story and above all the human tragedy in it that attracted me the most.All of my films have been delving on what touched human beings intimately and Ore Kadal could be seen as an extension to my earlier films on some levels.

What about the songs, all composed in a single raga?

Yes, that was necessary since the overall mood of the film remains the same and since the songs as well as the background music, both of which cannot be separated distinctly in the case of Ore Kadal, had to jell with the story, the theme and the mood of the film.And Ouseppachan, who had done the music for the film, has done a wonderful job.

How do you feel, after having done Ore Kadal, and after having released it in theatres?

Every film for me is a new experience.I was going through that experience while doing Ore Kadal.And now that I have got it released, I feel happy and contented, especially since I am able to share my experience with the people.

And I am also happy that I could work with so talented actors and technicians like Azhagappan and all for the realization of the film.And I must definitely mention Vindhyan, the producer who stood by me from beginning to end and made this a reality.