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The first time we see CI George Mathan (Prakash Varma) on screen, we wouldn’t expect him to have such importance in the narrative ahead. He initially comes across as just a do-gooder supporting character who is unlikely to have much screen time. But as Thudarum unfolds, we slowly witness George unmasking his true monstrous self and revealing himself as the cold-blooded, ruthless and vicious villain. But as the movie draws to a close, one question lingers in the minds of the audience: who is this Prakash Varma, whose spectacular performance contributed significantly to the mesmerising appeal of director Tharun Moorthy’s Thudarum? Despite him delivering such a brilliant job, why can’t we seem to recall his previous performances or even him as a person? Well, that’s because this was his debut movie. Shocking, right? But it’s true.
However, he is not a newbie in the creative domain but is one of India’s most celebrated ad filmmakers, renowned for his iconic Vodafone commercials featuring the Zoozoos. He has also crafted advertisement films for Incredible India, Cadbury and Indian Railways, among others. And who can forget Hutch’s ‘boy and puppy’ campaigns that he created, which made pugs a beloved dog breed among Indians?
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Prakash Varma was also the brain behind the celebrated Greenply commercial that served as an inspiration for director Lijo Jose Pellissery’s widely acclaimed Mammootty-starrer Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2022). He also directed ads for Dubai Tourism featuring Bollywood’s Baadshah Shah Rukh Khan. As the director and co-founder of Nirvana Films, Prakash has also crafted commercials for big companies like KitKat, Kohinoor India, Bisleri, Camerry, PhonePe, Ultratech and Taj Mahal tea, among others.
A native of Alappuzha district in Kerala, Prakash is an alumnus of SD College. After his stint as an assistant director to veteran filmmakers AK Lohithadas and Viji Thampi, he joined VK Prakash’s Trends Ad Film Makers Pvt Ltd before eventually opening his Nirvana Films in 2001. “The basics, the grammar of filmmaking, creating a beautiful structure and yet keeping things simple, I learnt it all at Trends,” he said during a chat with Bangalore Mirror in 2009 when Zoozoos were trending in India. Prakash Varma is also the nephew of veteran character actor (late) Jagannatha Varma.
Interestingly, Manorama News reported, the main reason Prakash Varma agreed to work on Thudarum was his absolute adoration for Mohanlal. A friend of the movie’s co-writer KR Sunil, Prakash was zeroed in on by director Tharun after considering several actors in the Malayalam and Tamil industries and conducting many auditions for the role of George. Thanks to Prakash’s performance, which is on par with Mohanlal’s masterful portrayal of Shanmugham, along with several other factors, Thudarum opened to widespread acclaim and is now running successfully in theatres.
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