When team kathakali came calling

Actors Vishal and Catherine Tresa, who essay the lead roles in Kathakali, dropped in at the DC office accompanied by director Pandiraj and cinematographer Balasubramaniem, to chat with us over a cup of coffee.

Vishal: ‘It’s high time we encouraged multi-starrer flicks’

Pinning hopes on his latest flick, Vishal appeared self-assured throughout the session and spoke at length about various topics. According to him, Kathakali falls under a category which he hasn’t attempted till date, and gives reasons for accepting it when Pandiraj narrated the story in 45 minutes. He opens up, “Pandiraj had narrated two other stories to me — but I found the script of Kathakali more intriguing, as it dwells on a murder mystery. I liked how the narrative moved. Moreover, it falls under the whodunit genre, which fascinates me. Also, this is the first movie in my career where there will not be any songs in the second half.”

Like a few other stars, Vishal too has worked with some directors  multiple number of times. Quiz him about this and he says it is the comfort factor and hype which compels him to do so — “I share a similar wavelength while working with Thiru or Suseenthiran. Similarly, working with someone like Sundar C gives me pleasure — the whole crew appears relaxed while filming with him. Also, working with newbies is a challenge. Once I listened to six wannabe filmmakers because I was keen on doing something different. However, the result was extremely disappointing. So, such instances make me go back to established directors or those with whom I share a good rapport.”

Of late, multi-starrers have been a trend in many industries. Prod him on the same, and he says he’s game for it any day. “It’s high time we encouraged multi-starrers. Having said that, it depends on the directors —  not everyone can handle multiple heroes simultaneously,” he muses. Now that the actor has started playing his new, real-life role as the Secretary of Nadigar Sangam, will it
influence his choices of accepting characters or films? He says, “I always made sure that my films do not have any derogatory remarks or sexist comments or something which targets a caste or any group. My movies have never encountered a problem with respect to its release due to any negative remarks.”

Vishal also adds that he will maintain a healthy relationship with Sarathkumar, Simbu and others who campaigned against him in the recent Nadigar Sangam elections — “Just because I stood against their groups doesn’t  necessarily mean that I will maintain animosity with them forever.” He also adds that there shouldn’t be a retirement age for any star! On the question of his marriage, Vishal grins and answers — “I missed the bus in 2009 to get married, when I had the chance. Now, I will tie the knot only after the construction of the Sangam building.”

Balasubramaniem: All praise for the director

The cinematographer of the film, Balasubramaniem says that he shares a special bond with Pandiraj, which makes him easier to work with him. Having worked with the latter on back-to-back films, he says on a lighter note that Pandiraj is a visionary director who could predict even climatic changes.

He says, “We were shooting at Cuddalore, and wanted a piece of wet land for the scene. Pandiraj however asked the crew to wait for some time. When quizzed, he replied that it is going to rain heavily and that we will can the scenes in the rain. To our surprise, that really happened, and we were all awestruck!”

Catherine Tresa: ‘Chennai has almost become my second home’

Catherine Tresa was in an elated mood as she started speaking about her role in Kathakali. The suave actress who debuted with a de-glam avatar in Madras as North Chennai girl, has transformed into a modern city-bred babe for this flick. The Hyderabad-based actress, feels that Chennai has almost become her second home. “Chennaiites are warm and caring — and for me any city is about the people. In fact, I would love to spend more time in the city. Also, I am fond of the south Indian dosa and sambar,” she smiles. Speaking more about Kathakali, Catherine says she plays Meenu Kutty, a B Pharm graduate. “I have an interesting and a meaty role to play in the film and I am extremely happy that Pandiraj chose me for it,” she tells us.

On Vishal, her co-star, Catherine says he’s quite focused and dedicated. “Vishal is a gentleman. I really enjoyed working with him on the sets. But he keeps pulling everybody’s leg! Don’t you know that he is a prankster,” she laughs and quickly adds, “He was nice enough not to play any prank on me. But he always sends ‘sushi’ to me.” From the glimpses of the trailer of Kathakali, we guess there are a few kissing scenes? “Do you think so? No! There are no smooching scenes also. Perhaps, to add a bit of curiosity, the director might have cut the trailer as such,” she says.

Ask Catherine about her take on being glamorous, since she has been spotted wearing sexy outfits off-screen, and she reasons — “I love to dress up and look good. As long as I am comfortable in what I am wearing (which looks good on me), it is fine. No filmmaker comes and tells you to expose as it all depends on the kinds of roles you choose.” Quiz her about marrying a Tamilian, pat comes her reply, “Yes, if I find an interesting Tamilian, I may consider it!” Does she feel that heroines are paid less compared to the male lead? “I agree! There is this disparity between men and women when it comes to the payment. But, the gap is slowly getting bridged in the recent past! There are a lot of woman-centric films coming up where the heroines are paid big time,” she quips. Surprisingly, Catherine doesn’t have a favorite hero in K’town. “Each one is different in his own way. I don’t have any favorite hero per se,” she concludes.

Pandiraj: ‘It was Vishal who chose Kathakali’s script’

After doing films like the Pasanga series, Pandiraj is attempting, an action-thriller, for the first time, with Kathakali. “There’s no over-the top heroism. You won’t find Vishal fighting hundred goons at the same time, or ten Tata Sumos flying in the air,” laughs Pandiaraj and adds, “I narrated two scripts, one which exhibits full-fledged heroism and the other with a live story with lot of emotions where heroism is integrated in the story. He chose the second one, and that is Kathakali.”

Pandiaraj says the movie is entirely shot at night, and the rain plays an important character. “The script is inspired by a real-life incident and narrated in a realistic manner that people can relate to it when they watch it. Without cinematographer Balasubramaniem and composer Hiphop Tamizha Aadhi, the film wouldn't have been possible,” he says.