“I take life as it comes”

Visual effects supervisor turned art director Jackson shares his experience with his film Paruthiveeran, his future plans and more…

S Suresh Kumar

Despite the recognition he’s received as art director for the super hit film Paruthiveeran, Jackson comes across as a rather simple man.
“The success of a film doesn’t depend on how much money you’ve spent on the sets or how opulent you make them look. It depends on how realistic the shots look,” he told us.
Paruthiveeran
A producer is always walking on fire, trying to keep up with deadlines and financial commitments. So all Jackson does is keep it simple and make sure the sets are in coordination of the story. There are no dream sets in Paruthiveeran — but each and every shot has a rich look despite its minimalist appearance.
“You can’t separate art direction from the story. There’s a fight scene in the film and the director wanted to shoot it in muddy areas and there were a lot of aerial shots. So we decided to use tractors as props but the rains came and our plans went down the drains. But Aamir is an extremely particular director. He cancelled the shoot and we waited for the rains to stop. We had to do the whole thing all over again,” said Jackson.
Road to Art
Born in Bangalore and educated in Chennai, Jackson is a qualified artist from the School of Arts, Chennai. He’s worked at Pentamedia as a visual effects supervisor for more than eight years where he mastered 3D animation and models. He’s also worked at SG, 3D Studio Max and Maya. “I don’t really plan big. I take life as it comes and just give it my all,” he says.
In Indian cinema, scripts lack hard work. Pre-production is taken very lightly and that’s why there is much confusion on the sets, affecting the cost, length of film and even the release date,” says Jackson.
Budgeting art
This art director not only sketches and plans the sets, he also works with the carpenters where he can visualise shots not only on paper but creates it with the help of 3D tools before the schedule of the film.
This way, he helps the producer calculate the approximate time and money required for the sets, easily.
Working with Aamir
“It’s been a great opportunity, working with Aamir. He’s brilliant and the entire production was like a picnic. The success of a film depends largely on teamwork and he never wasted time on the sets. By the time the first shot was completed, we were ready with the third shot,” says Jackson.
This savvy art director has two more projects in the pipeline — Sakkarakatti and Onbathu Roopai Nottu and we just hope that his films keep adding feathers of success to his cap!

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.

ITS SAD STILL THIS THINGS HAPPENS

Recently i have read this article from one of the sites, its really hurts knowing this things still happens in India......

The practice of female infanticide still occurs in rural areas
A two-day-old baby girl in India has survived after being buried alive in a field by her maternal grandfather in the south of the country.

The baby, who had apparently never been fed, was discovered by a farmer near a village some 150km south of Hyderabad.

He said he only spotted her because her tiny hand was sticking out of the soil.

Police say they have arrested the baby's grandfather, 52-year-old Abdul Rahman, after he confessed to trying to kill the newborn by burying her alive.

"I am yet to marry off four daughters and cannot take responsibility for a fifth one, even when she is only a granddaughter," Mr Rahman was quoted as telling police.

It was not immediately clear whether Mr Rahman's daughter, the mother of the baby, had given her consent for her child to be taken away.

The baby, who has not yet been named and weighs just 1.7kg, is being treated in a nearby hospital.

The practice of female foeticide and female infanticide does occur in some rural areas.

A girl child is often viewed as inferior to a boy and a bride's dowry can also cripple a family financially.

Government figures suggest that around 10 million girls have been killed by their parents - either in the womb or immediately after birth - over the past two decades.

Take? No, it’s a mistake!

Actress Ramya accuses Tamil director
K S Adhiyaman of holding back her money; filmmaker vows never to work with her again
Kavvya Christopher and
S Suresh Kumar

Film director K S Adhiyaman has urged his fraternity to boycott actress Ramya after all the trouble she is said to have caused him during the filming of Thoondil.
At a recent press conference in Tamil Nadu, he announced that he would never again work with the actress because she spelt trouble.
Coming from Adhiyaman, who has directed stars like Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Maduri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai, such fierce statements are quite something. He has never made derogatory remarks about his colleagues till date.
On the other hand, Ramya too insists that signing on Thoondil has been her biggest career mistake. “I do not want to be part of a production unit that does not know how to treat its star cast,” she fumed.
Story so far
The film Thoondil stars Shyam and Ramya in lead roles. A large part of the film has been shot in London, which is where all the action took place.
The shooting for Thoondil began eight months ago and Ramya was put up at a house in London. Since the film was being shot on a shoestring budget, most of the crew were put up at home stays.
According to Ramya, the owner of the house where she was put up used to get drunk every evening. She also said that she had given some of her expensive white clothes to the laundry, and they all came back blue.
“I insisted on moving into a hotel. The sets were far from comfortable. No food was provided for the cast and the crew. I had to go out and buy my own food,” alleged the actress.
Missing laptop
The cast and the crew travelled to Thailand in May for the last schedule of the shooting. Ramya said, while checking in at the Chennai airport, she had over her luggage, including a laptop bag, to the production manager.
“After some time I asked him for my laptop. He said he had already sent it in with someone. But when we reached Thailand, the bag was still missing. The production in-charge said someone had checked it in with the luggage, but I knew they were lying. The bag had my new Apple Mac laptop, my sunglasses worth 20,000, my ipod and mobile phone chargers,” said Ramya.
“Ramya insisted that she would resume shooting only after she was compensated for the loss of the laptop bag. Despite assurances that we would pay her, Ramya was uncooperative,” said Adhiyaman.
“They did not pay me the entire money. So we came to a deal. I told them to give me $500 everyday, failing which I wouldn’t work on that day. They paid up for two days, but the third day, we had an accident on the sets. Shyam’s assistant, a young boy, almost drowned and he was admitted to hospital. I did not want to ask them for my money when there was a crisis. Later, I got to know that it was Shyam who was paying the boy’s hospital bills, so I decided to ask for my money. They promised to pay me the next day, but wrapped up the shoot on the same day without paying me a single dollar. The director and producer of Thoondil owe me $1250. They did not pay my hotel bills and they did not even pay for my transport either,” fumed Ramya.
Right now, the actress and the director are at loggerheads. Whether the box office fate of Thoondil will bring a thaw in the frosty equation remains to be seen.

Kamal ka film?

For Kamal Hassan, his latest film Dasaavatharam is all about new ideas and breaking barriers. He is unstoppable, even if controversy does follow him everywhere
Suresh S Kumar
Controversy might seem to graze producer, director and actor Kamal Hassan, yet he always seems to come out unscathed. A lawsuit was filed by Senthil Kumar — an assistant director, against Hassan on his latest film Dasavatharam, claiming that the script was copied from his. The high court, which had previously rejected this petition on account of lack of evidence, had asked for a full script in English to be submitted to check on the veracity of the claim. Now, Senthil has again filed a case with some new evidence to support his claim.
Even with the script controversy still raging, Kamal Hassan is undeterred and is busy completing the film. Almost 90 per cent of the film has been shot with the climax scene also getting ready with great fanfare, according to sources.
The film directed by K S Ravikumar, features Kamal Haasan in 10 different roles. Sources say that the movie is inspired by the 10 avatars of Lord Narayanan, which, in mythology is called Dasavatharam.
Ten times better?
Hassan will break the past record of nine roles performed by actor Sivaji Ganesan in Navaratri with this new film, where he plays 10 different roles. In the film, Hassan is a Vaishnavite saint in his first avatar. For this, the actor travelled to the US to get the best make-up techniques. He also hired a team of American experts to work on the technical side. This big budget film has been shot in America, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand, with the climax slated to be done in Chennai. The actor also had plans of shooting in the 2,000-year-old Airavatheeshwarar Temple near Kumbakonam, but was denied permission by the temple authorities. The crew then recreated the locale on a five-acre plot in Chennai. Over 500 workers built the set of the temple.
The film also features mega stars like Asin who plays the lead opposite Hassan and actresses Jayapradha and Mallika Sherawat. Actress Gowthami has done his costumes and Jeeva is on camera.
The music for the film is being done by Himesh Reshammiya, who working in a South film for the first time. Hassan’s daughter Shruti has also contributed by singing a track for the film. Sources saw that producer Ravichandran has spent Rs 3 crore on just one of the song. So, one can expect a visual feast, no doubt.
Riding a Tsunami
The film shows the devastation of southern India during the tsunami that killed over 2,758 people. Since North Chennai was the worst hit, Kamal Hassan has incorporated the disaster with a crew that worked tirelessly to recreate the tidal wave on silver screen. An artificial sea was created across two acres near the fishing village of Royapuram, on the outskirts of Chennai. The art direction team lead by Thota Tharani was behind this simulation. Interestingly, Dasavatharam will be the first film to have had a tsunami-like artificial sea for a shoot of such large proportions.
Back with Rekha
The onscreen chemistry between Kamal Hassan and Rekha in the film Punnagai Mannan will revive itself with another kiss after 21 years! The actress once again appears with Hassan in the film in an important role.
Being different
Kamal has always been known to explore new areas. He was first to introduce Dolby stereo sound in Kuruthipunal in 1996 and after that, he shot Mumbai Express and Virumandi digitally. This time around, Hassan walks the unique path again. While the budget does not in anyway match the much-hyped Rajnikant release Sivaji, Dasavatharam will have a new marketing technique to sell tickets.
At a recent FICCI-Frames meeting, the actor is said to have revealed that the tickets will be sold through retail shops and malls, which will hopefully end the sale of tickets in black.

Kamal ka film?

For Kamal Hassan, his latest film Dasaavatharam is all about new ideas and breaking barriers. He is unstoppable, even if controversy does follow him everywhere
Suresh S Kumar
Controversy might seem to graze producer, director and actor Kamal Hassan, yet he always seems to come out unscathed. A lawsuit was filed by Senthil Kumar — an assistant director, against Hassan on his latest film Dasavatharam, claiming that the script was copied from his. The high court, which had previously rejected this petition on account of lack of evidence, had asked for a full script in English to be submitted to check on the veracity of the claim. Now, Senthil has again filed a case with some new evidence to support his claim.
Even with the script controversy still raging, Kamal Hassan is undeterred and is busy completing the film. Almost 90 per cent of the film has been shot with the climax scene also getting ready with great fanfare, according to sources.
The film directed by K S Ravikumar, features Kamal Haasan in 10 different roles. Sources say that the movie is inspired by the 10 avatars of Lord Narayanan, which, in mythology is called Dasavatharam.
Ten times better?
Hassan will break the past record of nine roles performed by actor Sivaji Ganesan in Navaratri with this new film, where he plays 10 different roles. In the film, Hassan is a Vaishnavite saint in his first avatar. For this, the actor travelled to the US to get the best make-up techniques. He also hired a team of American experts to work on the technical side. This big budget film has been shot in America, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand, with the climax slated to be done in Chennai. The actor also had plans of shooting in the 2,000-year-old Airavatheeshwarar Temple near Kumbakonam, but was denied permission by the temple authorities. The crew then recreated the locale on a five-acre plot in Chennai. Over 500 workers built the set of the temple.
The film also features mega stars like Asin who plays the lead opposite Hassan and actresses Jayapradha and Mallika Sherawat. Actress Gowthami has done his costumes and Jeeva is on camera.
The music for the film is being done by Himesh Reshammiya, who working in a South film for the first time. Hassan’s daughter Shruti has also contributed by singing a track for the film. Sources saw that producer Ravichandran has spent Rs 3 crore on just one of the song. So, one can expect a visual feast, no doubt.
Riding a Tsunami
The film shows the devastation of southern India during the tsunami that killed over 2,758 people. Since North Chennai was the worst hit, Kamal Hassan has incorporated the disaster with a crew that worked tirelessly to recreate the tidal wave on silver screen. An artificial sea was created across two acres near the fishing village of Royapuram, on the outskirts of Chennai. The art direction team lead by Thota Tharani was behind this simulation. Interestingly, Dasavatharam will be the first film to have had a tsunami-like artificial sea for a shoot of such large proportions.
Back with Rekha
The onscreen chemistry between Kamal Hassan and Rekha in the film Punnagai Mannan will revive itself with another kiss after 21 years! The actress once again appears with Hassan in the film in an important role.
Being different
Kamal has always been known to explore new areas. He was first to introduce Dolby stereo sound in Kuruthipunal in 1996 and after that, he shot Mumbai Express and Virumandi digitally. This time around, Hassan walks the unique path again. While the budget does not in anyway match the much-hyped Rajnikant release Sivaji, Dasavatharam will have a new marketing technique to sell tickets.
At a recent FICCI-Frames meeting, the actor is said to have revealed that the tickets will be sold through retail shops and malls, which will hopefully end the sale of tickets in black.