What’s in a name?

Last week the Tamil Nadu Film Producers Counsil had issued a notice to two film makers suggesting a change in their film titles

S Suresh Kumar

Earlier, a movie title was the one thing that directors concentrated upon a lot. But lately, it doesn’t seem to matter at all. For instance, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag. One would think it’s a film about Ram Gopal Varma’s life. No wonder it bombed at the box office. The other one is the Abhay Deol starrer, Manorama — Six Feet Under, directed by Navdeep Singh. In one of the interviews the actor had a hard time explaining what the title of the film really meant.
Among the regional films, Sundar C’s new movie titled Porukki and Simbu’s film Kettavan, both in Tamil, got warnings from the Film Association. To encourage the use of Tamil titles, the Tamil Nadu Government has announced a service tax exemption for films with a Tamil title. After the announcement, 99 per cent films from Kollywood are being titled in Tamil, but this is just a financial benefit for the producer and just led to films having strange names.
However, there are still some directors who put a lot of thought behind the names of every film they make. Filmmakers like Mani Ratnam, K Balachandar, Bharathiraja and Kamal Haasan, all from Kollywood choose the names of their films carefully.
Directors like Tulasidas, Fazil, Vinayan, Kamal, Renjith from the Malyalam film industry, K Viswanath from Tollywood are also masters when it comes to naming their films. The titles usually reflect much more than a name, it encompasses the thought behind the film’s story and concept as well. Mouna Raagam (Silent Symphony) by Maniratnam is a brilliant example. One gets the drift of the story just from the title itself.
Wish there were more directors from the same league?

Shaam’s all set to rock ‘n’ roll

Two back to back Tamil releases and his first Telugu film — Shaam talks about those and more...

S Suresh Kumar

Shaam is a busy actor now. He is working hard for that elusive big hit. After 11 movies in Tamil and one in Kannada he’s trying out one in Telugu. What could be the reason that he’s not had a hit lately? “Story selection is the key. During narration, the story sounds good but the execution is not always done the right way. I try and give my hundred per cent in every film I do, irrespectively,” he says. Last year, his film Kannada film Tananam Tananam too didn’t fare well.
About Thoondil
After a long break director KS Adhyaman, a master on the subject of relationships, is making this film. Shaam plays a software engineer and will be accompanied by Sandhya and Ramya. The entire film is shot in UK. It’s a triangular love story and expectations are high on Adhyaman. “Everyone falls in love at least once in a lifetime. When the audience sees this movie, they will surely go back to their old memories. I have really playing doing this character,” says Shaam. “Working with Sandhya is wonderful. She’s fun loving and cool on the sets and yet, an extremely serious and professional actress. She has excellent screen presence. As for Ramya, I have already worked with her in Tananam Tananam,” he adds.
Third time lucky?
Shaam is pairing with Sneha for the third time in the movie Inba. Their first film together was Hey Nee Romba Azhaga Irukae and their chemistry worked well. With ABCD, they worked together again, and though the film didn’t do well, it was critically appreciated. In Inba, Shaam’s undergone a makeover, sporting a beard to play the role of an auto driver. The music is doing quite well.
Tryst with Telugu
“Now I am going to do a Telugu film, which will be directed by Gireesh. Parvathi Milton is going to be my co-star. The story is very different. I am happy that I have got a very good script for my first Telugu film,” says Shaam.
Remembering Jeeva
“Close friend and director Jeeva’s death has been a big loss. He is very close to my heart. He was the one that introduced me in films. I can’t forget those moments at all. He lives forever with me. I have learnt a lot from him,” he says.
On stage shows
“Dancing to a song on stage is a big task. On screen, you have chances for retakes and finally you have a good number after all the breaks. Stage shows that way are a different ball game. You cannot make a mistake. And you also need a lot of stamina. Working with Maniratnam’s Netru Indru Naalai (stage show) was a very good experience for me,” Shaam recollects.