Santosh Sivan on Mohanlal: ‘He is very organic and pure in his approach’

Santosh Sivan is the first Asian to be awarded the prize named after Pierre Angénieux, one of the inventors of the zoom lenses that revolutionised cinematography. Sivan, in his acceptance speech, specially thanked Malayalam cinema for paving the foundations of his long career in films. Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, with whom he is filming his first- ever 3D film, was the among the first to congratulate Santosh on the historic feat.

“My association with Mohanlal goes a long way back. He approached me for his directorial debut and also made clear that he is not looking at doing too many films as a director. And it is a challenging film, so I knew I had to do it.”

Barroz, directed by Mohanlal is a children’s fantasy film. Shot on 3D, the film is slated to open on Christmas, in both 3D and Imax formats. Apart from its original Malayalam version, the film is being dubbed in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and English.

“I asked him (Mohanlal), this is not a conventional formula film, why do you want to do this? He said he wanted to do a different film, a fantasy one with lot of emotional elements in it. He was also clear about filming in 3D, which is not very easy. Though I have tested 3D before, this is my first time for a full-length film.”

Though we are talking about 3D films every now and then, they are not completely 3D, says Santosh Sivan. Jijo Punnose’s My Dear Kuttichathan made in 1984 was one such landmark movie. And post that, it is Barroz, which follows the complete 3D track, from filming to exhibition.

“Most of the 3D films we see now are shot on 2D and then converted to 3D. (Mohan) Lal was particular about filming in 3D. It comes with a different set of challenges. The camera is quite heavy, so movement becomes a tough job. You need four times light as compared to 2D filming. All these means time and resources. And thats why not many are attempting to do this.”

Mohanlal, according to Santosh Sivan, has chosen a very difficult path, with respect to the technical elements of Barroz.

Also Read | 34 films, first State Award, exceptional performances and superstardom: How Mohanlal, at 26, altered the course of his journey in just one year

“When someone is trying to make their first film, they try to make it as simple as possible. But in his case, he has chosen to make it as difficult as possible. He knows the challenges involved and still wants to give it a shot.”

Apart from direction, Mohanlal plays the lead role in Barroz, supported by a diverse international cast.

“Mohanlal is someone who will come forward to do anything in a film set. He has always been like that. He never steps back when it is comes to putting more effort or experimenting new, risky things. He has followed the same in Barroz also. What I really liked about him as a director is that he is very organic and pure in his approach. He does not say things like ‘Lets do something similar to what they have in this film, etc…’ He is also very easy and calm, makes sure to keep a tension-free work environment.”

The ease Santosh mentions comes from an association that dates back to three decades and a dozen films, including Mohanlal’s big-ticket productions Kaala Paani (1996) and Vanaprastham (2000). Sivan also cranked the camera for Mani Ratnam’s iconic Iruvar (1997), where Mohanlal essayed the role of actor turned politician MGR.

“No one has attempted a genre like Barroz in Malayalam. It is very important to make such attempts. And Mohanlal has done it from his heart, without any tall claims.”

Starting January, Santosh Sivan will be working on Riteish Deshmukh’s movie on Chatrapati Shivaji. He will also be working on Rajkumar Santoshi’s Lahore 47, backed by Aamir Khan Productions.