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00:00Hi, how are you doing Prakash? I have to say what a spectacular debut with Tudarum. I mean,
00:11you outdid yourself. I'm sorry, when Mohanlal is in the screen, I rarely look at other actors.
00:17And might I add, when you were on the screen, I was looking at you as well, which is a big win
00:21for you. Well done, you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. But I think there
00:27are a lot of other interesting facts, the whole film, because first of all, I think somebody like
00:36me, first time in front of camera and many, many years behind the camera, it's not easy to be in
00:43front of camera. And especially when you're actually sharing the screen space with such a legend and
00:48such a brilliant actor, which we all know, and we are all huge fan. I think the most important thing
00:56is the kind of space that Lal sir has given me, when you share the screen space and the kind of
01:05confidence that he has given, saying that, you know, interesting, he always says, you know,
01:14kind of stuff where, which gives you a lot of confidence. And more than that, I think two most
01:19important facts, the way the character arc has been written by Sunil and Tarun is absolutely
01:25brilliant. So you'll have to understand the basic foundation of this character, which works. And the
01:30second thing is, you'll have to also imagine that you are delivering such dialogues and performing
01:36against a humongous star and a brilliant actor. So Lalitin's aura is actually affecting you, you know,
01:44so, and that's why the kind of power that you get, imagine the same thing that you're playing
01:50the similar role with some, any other junior actors. I think when you're standing against
01:59him, his aura will definitely, you know, there's a power, right? And I believe these are the two
02:05things, of course, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process of making this film.
02:09Because I love, I love Tarun's way of directing. I thoroughly enjoyed the process. And I think
02:15that's also another reason. Yeah. You have to say you are against a legend, right? In this
02:21entire thriller, it's more a psychological warfare. If you look at it, you're playing mind games with
02:27that man in the most non-toxic looking way, but you're so toxic. So that's what I loved about it as
02:33well. Did you find that appealing? This is a new breed of villain. You're the smooth operator.
02:39See, that's what I said. I think the character is written that way. And I still remember when
02:44Tarun came to my office and he was very sure that his only confusion was because of my schedule and
02:52my commitments and my films. Will I be able to do it or will I, I'm as, you know, my interest,
02:58all that. But he was very clear. I think he, he's the minute he, Sunil showed my picture to him.
03:05I think he said, he's, I found my George. Then I said, you know, I just need a little
03:09more clarity. I mean, and then Tarun came to my office and I think it was around three,
03:14three and a half hours of narration. One of the best narration in recent times that I've
03:17heard is so, the whole film and the entire detailing characters, smaller, you know, tiny
03:24little moments, everything was digested in him. So I think that narration also was something
03:29that I really got inspired. And I spoke to my wife, partner, Sneha, and she said, what a brilliant
03:34director, you know, so much clarity. I said, then I asked her, what should I do? And she said,
03:39yeah, please. I think it's all your call. And she always supports me. And then I thought for a minute
03:46and I said, okay, let me just do this. Let me just jump in. But I knew the character was written
03:50that way. Yes. And it's too risky because I think equally, Laliton's character, even George's character
03:57was equally important. But if I fail, it can affect because that's the strength and character
04:04strength. So that is a risk. So I think it's important. And I believe in certain things. You'll
04:10have to take risks in your life or else you will never understand yourself. Then you, I think you'll
04:14also basically become a bit more focused in whatever that you're doing, because you're in a very thin
04:18line. Either you get it, you don't get it. There's no in between. Prakash, I have to say this. Like
04:22you said, it's good to take creative gambles, right? But people are scared to start afresh in
04:28their, let's say even 60s, like I'm in my 40s. And to switch lanes is going to be tough. Tomorrow,
04:34you asked me to be, let's say, a speech writer for somebody, though I don't know what geography is.
04:38My geography is shit. My politics is not great. But imagine that it's as, you know, sudden as that
04:44and different a field, right? Did you, I know you were behind the camera, but what
04:48made you like decide, okay, let's try this because I'm, I'm vulnerable, but I'm going to take that
04:53risk. Exactly. Oneness. In fact, I think throughout my life, even with the kind of films that I do in
04:58advertising, I think it's just, for me, it's quite boring to just approach something which is similar
05:03that I've done at least for a year, year and a half, two years, I will not touch that kind of
05:07emotion. Sometimes you do humor, or sometimes you do really like personal, emotional stuff, or maybe
05:14what do you call an action or whatever. So if I do something, at least because I get damn bored with
05:19it. And I try and look and search for things which is coming my way, which are like risky. And I don't
05:29know any reference to it. Or I've never done that kind of space, then I jump into it, because that's
05:35the only way that you can actually explore. And I think it's similar situation, but in a bigger scale,
05:42because you've never done and you're, you're with a lot of big people here. Like Rajaputra is a
05:48seasoned production house and Rinja Thetan is like, wow, what a, what a producer for such a long time
05:54and such a pleasant lot to learn from him. And then Mohalal and then Shobhana and, you know,
06:01Mani Mullah Raju, so many legends. Right. And, and then, and then you've got to just work and make sure
06:09things are happening. And so I think it's a huge risk, but I love that kind of space.
06:15I, I, when I get an opportunity, something like that, I'll always press that button, whatever
06:20happens. You have told actors like Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma for their commercial
06:24what to do. What was it being directed by somebody? You have directed people. Did you have to give up
06:31the power, what went through your head when you had to take in substance?
06:37It's, it's quite interesting. That's exactly what I said, because it is also an experience because
06:42when, once you're there and the minute you say yes, the first day I, you know, one, I agreed.
06:49And then I said, I, I, I still remember got there and then I changed my clothing and
06:55I looked at myself after my makeup and I said, okay, this is George, which is very different
07:01from me. And then I walked into the set and I looked at Tarun, Lalit and Sunil, everybody
07:07was there. And you guys are happy. Is this your George? And they were like, of course we
07:12all knew. And then, then I told Tarun, now I'm yours. So, and just, you just play with me.
07:21And being a professional, being in the industry for such a long time, in fact, and you should
07:28understand what your role is always. So as a filmmaker, I, I think I understand that and I deal
07:34with that very professionally. I just don't cross in anybody else's line. Like for example, for my
07:38production designer or, or my costume designer or, or, you know, music director, I, you know,
07:45there is a kind of brief that you keep and you, even with an editor, an editor can change the film.
07:50So once you brief them, I always let them be with their own space and I'll watch. And
07:56in case, if it goes overboard or less than my kind of thought process, then I might just
08:02get in. But I think it's important as professionals, we, we should definitely give that space to
08:06people to explore. And that's the only way that we can extract the best. And me being that
08:13for several years and now in front of camera, under a filmmaker, I just, I'm just a tool.
08:20And I always imagine, you know, like any actors in front of me is exactly like any prop.
08:24I think I had a very heavy scene the first day night where I'm walking into the house and talking
08:29about the, the, the whole story of death and whatever. And that too, in front of Raju Chaitan
08:35and Chopina and all that. So it was, it was a very tough scene the whole night. And often
08:39I started delivering and I think the first line and then Tarun said, cut. And I was just
08:45thinking, you know, did I go wrong? And then he walked in and said, I said, can you just
08:49change this word? And can you just add this?
08:51Yeah.
08:51And can you just, and then he added things like, can you just, can you just try Harlu?
08:56So these are things that then I figured, because it takes time for a director to understand
09:02an actor and actor to understand director. So it, but in this case, I think in the first
09:07day I figured out what Tarun is because he is king of improvisation and his instinct,
09:12like he thinks of some, when, when, you know, once you think about something, you'll have
09:16to immediately try and do, because once you miss that time or lose that time, you miss
09:21it. Once you finish the thing. So inner voice is very important when you make a film,
09:26because that is organic way of filmmaking. And I understood next day onwards, I didn't
09:32plan. I didn't reverse because I know there is no point because I go there, he'll change
09:37lines. He'll change lines just before the take. And, and there was no way. That's one
09:42thing. A brilliant thing. I think it was knowingly, unknowingly after the entire film
09:48shoot, I figured another very interesting side of Laliton because he constantly distracted
09:54me. And so initially I used to say, you know, just before lengthy scene, and I have a lot
09:59of lines and either inside the car or whatever, he'll be continuously showing and see, see,
10:03see, this is about some videos about the past, some film clips or some, some, some song
10:10or some singer. Constance. I said, you know, can I just think about them? You know, just
10:16no, no, all that will be fine. That's when you look at this and action will happen.
10:19Neil change immediately. And then many times, in fact, at that time, I, you know, I'm thinking
10:27while I am actually performing. And then I figured much later after the film, that is
10:34a very interesting tool. I don't know whether he's doing it like purposefully, but consistently.
10:40And that also added a lot of value. I think when I look back, that made it very organic because
10:47I didn't plan and there was no thought process. And I think when you plan and prepare too much,
10:53I think somehow it'll be seen. I don't make my actors to rehearse too many times. When you try
10:58another thing in your life, especially at this stage, so much that I have learned, you have
11:04no idea. Now, when I get back to my sets, I think I always been soft and nice to my actors,
11:10but I am a little more better because I understand how difficult to be in front of camera, to come
11:16in the mark. And then you deliver the line. And then I ask some very detailed nuances of certain
11:21things. And now I'm even more softer and a better person. I think, I don't know. I think my team will
11:27tell you.
11:28C.I. George is one of the new brand of villains that we seem to love. The smooth talking.
11:33The, I mean, you look so benign. You look like the benevolent uncle. You could be Santa if we
11:38didn't know better. You were that dude. And then you flipped. I think that's where, you know,
11:43that dichotomy was brilliantly caught. Did you also have a lot of fun with the character? I mean,
11:49he's not like in your face, I'm evil. I'm going to kick you. I'm going to like, you know,
11:53I'm going to make a police brutality is my second nature. No, we didn't get that. Was that a very
11:59appealing part for you, Prakash?
12:01You know, the thing is, in fact, of course, when I heard the narration, I said, what an interesting
12:06story, of course, it's a, it's a, it's a mass film. It's got fight and all that. But that's
12:12the beauty of, I think, sometimes Malayalam cinema, because even though it's a mass film,
12:17the story is very strong. The emotions, what they're trying to do is most of the films,
12:24I think that's the beauty of films, which is coming from Malayalam, who's now, you know,
12:29always been there before. Even now, I think it's a little more strong. And even this particular
12:34film, I said, wow, what a brilliant way of putting characters together. So this character
12:40was written like that. And I said, this is exciting. Okay. And, and, and I get to play
12:46a lot of shades. I am a fun guy. I'm dancing. Okay. I'm very sweet. I'm very helpful. I'm
12:55singing. Then there's an in-between stage where I'm shifting slowly. And that shift is
13:01very, very important because it's a very slow shift. So that particular space is very
13:05important for any actor to understand yourself. And then you see the other side slowly, and
13:10then you become complete psycho. So, so many things for you to do as a first film. Can you
13:19imagine what a, what a, what a big opportunity if I, you know, just stay, I can also say, okay,
13:26this is too scary for me. Let me just be in my comfort zone. Right. I really would have
13:32regretted.
13:33Your first movie in your career garnered 2 billion rupees. That is 200 crores to be exact.
13:39And it's counting. Did you expect such a spectacular box office smash? Forget, see, you must have
13:46thought, oh, the reviews would be positive. It could be another, but getting box office glory
13:50is the ultimate recognition. People may say, I live for the critics, but I think often people
13:55live for the box office cash registers ringing because that's the true sign as well, right?
14:00People are watching it. They're spending money.
14:03Absolutely. Because, you know, always, I think every filmmaker, every team, when they're making
14:07their film, they all, they put their best, right? Like everybody works hard and put their
14:13best. And we all actually, in fact, expecting to be a good film and people will take it.
14:21So there's a certain level of expectation. I think some projects beyond talent, hard work,
14:27I think there's a kind of blessings from divine power and believe in it. Certain things which is
14:33not in your control. It can be a shot. It can be a cast. It can be a character. It can be a scene
14:39which is just organically developing in front of you. You don't know. You can plan, but something
14:44happens. And it has happened to me in many of my campaigns. And after the shot, I think, you know,
14:49how did that happen? I didn't, it just happened, you know, and what was that reaction? So, so many
14:55things. And that definitely happened in this particular film because we all expected, we
15:00all knew it was a great film. We all knew we all did a great thing. Every filmmaker, every film,
15:05people think that. But this is absolutely to actually get people like, you know, that amount
15:12of people to like a film, like every single characters and making, you know, tons and tons
15:20of like, you know, like social media is full of everything about this film, the songs, the
15:27characters, George and, you know, Benny, and it's full of that. And that I think in recent
15:33time, it's quite big and none of us expected, at least me. Yeah. We thought, yeah, it's, but this
15:42is too big. Yeah.
15:44No, it's interesting because I'm, you know, often AP and AFP. These are via services from
15:49the West who write stories about Hollywood is like struggling to get people into the cinemas
15:55again. So is Bollywood. So is many other theaters, because when we have Netflix or an Amazon
16:00Prime, why would I shell out, et cetera? So do you think in some way, Thudiram has revived
16:05faith in the big screen and cineplexes?
16:10Definitely, because let me tell you, apart from that, even the normal small town theaters,
16:15you know, it was amazing. And you have no idea the kind of emotions happen because, you
16:20know, as a kid, when I was in Kerala, when I was studying the kind of, you know, celebration,
16:27the kind of, you know, like the first day, second day, when it becomes hundred day, the
16:32theater packed and struggled to get the ticket and scream. When you see that through social
16:37media and YouTube, it's exact vibe happening, even in local theaters. Okay. And that is a
16:44huge thing. And I was told that all the theater owners were happy and it's just not heard in
16:51recent times. And that's what I said. There is some other level of divine power also. I think
16:58that blessing is definitely there.
17:00Right. Prakash, they say you are as good as your last film, but in your case, your last
17:04and your first film is the stupendous success. How do you outdo this? And no pressure on you
17:09at all, Prakash. How will you outdo this in your second movie? From where I stand, it's
17:14like, hmm, you kind of hit golden in your first try, didn't you?
17:19You know, the thing is, in fact, Manjisha, I personally, in fact, fortunate and thankfully
17:26been in the industry for very many years. Okay. More than 27 years, at least in advertising
17:31in three, four years in feature films, in Malayalam industry, worked with some great filmmakers
17:39because as an assistant so many years. And when I started my advertising career, I really
17:45after maybe initially I was, you know, the first year I got the AAA award. And then, then
17:53I think in the second or third year, my campaign, like for example, the dog and boy became so
17:58successful. And then after that, with the same brand, I associated for 18 years and we
18:03did some great campaign, including Zuzu's and many, many layers, a lot of incredible
18:10India campaign, a lot of tourism campaign, this kind of reaction in your own industry
18:15that you've, you know, you've faced. For me, what is important is the process of when
18:20you make a film or when you're doing whatever that you're doing. And I've gone through the
18:25ups and downs. And I don't take that kind of pressure because I'm used to it. And for
18:31me, I think next time it's not about taking this pressure on. I only look at, I only look
18:37at, will I have fun at the same time? Is it, you know, as I said earlier, if that makes
18:43me uncomfortable, will I be able to do it? Then I'll jump in. The rest is all people
18:48to decide. And I don't take that pressure at all. And I think I'm used to it. And maybe
18:52if I was younger and this happened to me, I think maybe because of less exposure in
18:58life, I think, yeah, I would have taken that pressure. And I don't know what I, you know,
19:05sometimes you land up in wrong projects and think like that. And I don't think that way.
19:09Wrong, right. I look at people. If they give me a great vibe and, and I'm going to have
19:16fun with this and I do it. And then, you know, because things will keep changing. Now we go
19:20through ups and downs and whatever. The minute you take these pressure, there is, there's no
19:24fun in life. I've spoken to Mohalal several times in Dubai, especially he comes quite often
19:29to promote movies. One thing about this actor is that he, if you ask him about his process,
19:35he cannot put it in words. He says, why are you guys overthinking it? It is so interesting
19:40to see a man. I think that's him. He's just being himself. Like he doesn't overthink anything.
19:45It's almost natural. It comes, he can't define his process. Did you find that fascinating as
19:51well? Like, because you observed him for 80 days as well. You're like, here's a man
19:54who doesn't take himself. He takes his craft seriously, not himself too seriously.
20:00Absolutely. I think that's what he was also maybe trying to do with me. But these are things
20:05that in conversation, you will never get to hear. There is no philosophy from his mouth.
20:10There's no teaching or being a guru and all that, but he is. I think it's, it's all coming
20:16from another space. So he takes everything so light, nothing affects him. At one particular
20:23time during the shoot days, it was, you know, I got a little bit of time because it was late
20:30in the night. And I said, do you get, you know, irritated at some point? Because I do
20:34sometimes in my film sets. He said, of course, I'm a human being. That happens. But then I
20:40immediately change and shift my mind. So that's kind of training. And then it becomes effortless.
20:46So likewise, I've seen that, you know, just he's cracking jokes and we're talking about
20:54many things in action. And then he'll, he'll just become, and the minute cut happens without
20:59a second, next second, he'll continue the story. How can you do that? And I've heard this
21:05many times. I've worked with him before, but in campaign, it's much more shorter, but in
21:10longer scenes, you know, how can you do that? It's just, and I know some people are like
21:14that. It's just bound to be like that and blessed soul.
21:18After I saw Thudaram, the first thing I did was Google who is the villain. I was like,
21:23and my dad and mom kept insisting you are Biju. You are the eldest father brother of Biju
21:28men. And I'm like, why did you make up that stuff? But is that, are you being recognized
21:33more? I could not place you. I had to call up the local distributors, get your name. I wrote
21:38a piece just out of nowhere from Wikipedia, not the best source still went with it because
21:43I was like, people are just fascinated about who is this man who has done such a splendid
21:49job. Yeah, of course. I mean, a comparison will always happen. And comparison, I want
21:55to say, I, after your Thudaram success, are you being recognized more? Are you being sought
22:02out, you know, does life change after that as an actor?
22:05The thing is, in fact, I also have a lot of commitments. So I was quite busy. I just went
22:15to the theater with the team with Thudaram and all that to support for the first day and
22:19then post that the situation changed. So I was just there for three days in Kurchi, but
22:23I was just inside my house. And one day, my wife Sneha and my son was there. We decided
22:28to just go out for breakfast somewhere in Fort Kurchi. And we said, today is Sunday
22:32early morning. The minute I went there, things were different. And then for the next two
22:36days, I didn't get out of my house. And then from that third day onwards, I was traveling.
22:41I was not in the country. So I just got back to Bombay yesterday. And I could just see the
22:46kind of stuff which is going on social media. Most of the days, I think last 15 days till
22:512.33 in the morning, even after the late night show, people calling me. And I tried to
22:58pick up most of the phone calls, even three in the morning. I tried to reply most of my
23:02messages, at least in WhatsApp and not Insta because you touched that. That's a huge thing.
23:07So I can't even get there. But I think I've replied most of my, you know, whoever called
23:15me, contacted me because it's just the genuine affection and what they felt and love for cinema
23:24and character and everything. So I just indulge in this right now. So the thing is, I'd love to be
23:32in Kerala right now. But unfortunately, I have quite a lot of stuff to finish. So I'm traveling
23:37even for another 15 days. So yeah, of course, but I can feel the vibe.
23:41Yes, of course. And we are going to see more of you, right? Please say CI George was just the
23:46beginning. And we're going to see more of you. Yes, as an actor, you will see more of me because
23:52I have so many things to do, at least in my like, kind of, you know, listed bucket list. I want to
24:02make a film. I came to the industry many, many years ago to tell stories. So I want to make a long
24:06feature film in the middle of writing. And I think hopefully if that works out, then this year,
24:11I don't know, because it's film, you never know. But at least I'm in the process. I'm enjoying
24:15process writing with a writer. I will still continue to do advertising because I love this
24:21format to tell stories in short time. And I'm not bored with it to get into films right now. Still,
24:27it is quite exciting. And I'm still fortunate to get very interesting projects within the country,
24:32outside the country. This particular experience changed me, I understood,
24:36and I thoroughly enjoyed. So you will see more of me in screen. But as I said,
24:42you know, you just need to get that vibe from the filmmaker. Of course, I will be there.
24:48Thank you so much for your time. And you really made a spectacular splash. And we need an origin
24:54story for CI George. That's what we are putting out in the world. Thank you so much. And thank you
24:58for entertaining us, Prakash. You were spectacular. Well done.