Films may be a totally different ball game for one-time cricketer Priyadarshan. But judging from the critical acclaim and commercial success he has got, both in Bollywood and in the South, he seems to be comfortable playing on any pitch. Priyan, as he is popularly known, was actually an aspirant for the Indian cricket team. He could've done for Kerala, what Debashish Mohanty did for Orissa - a place in the national cricket squad. But that was not to be. An accident on the field not only cost him his left eye but also his career in sport.A loss that proved to be Indian cinema's gain. Under pressure from his actor friend Mohanlal (of Saaza-E-Kalapani fame), Priyan started to look towards film as a viable alternative. His father's literary bent of mind - an author and librarian - also meant that the creative world was not alien to this Psychology graduate.Right from the word go, Priyan seemed to have the Midas touch. Manjil Virinja Pookal, the first film he directed, was a hit and his latest Mollywood offering, Chandralekha, starring the Virasat girl, Pooja Batra and Mohanlal is also a thumping success.But his just-over-a-decade-long success story is not without blemishes. In Mollywood's eyes he can do no wrong, but in Bollywood he can do no right. Muskurahat, the Hindi remake of his hugely successful Malayalam film Kilukam was a flop. Saaza-E-Kalapani, again a remake of his Kalapani, did not set cash registers ringing. It took the Tabu-Anil Kapoor-Pooja Batra starrer, Virasat, released last year, to break his Bollywood jinx. Shot impeccably, Priyan blazed across the big screen as a director who could make his camera paint lush pictures. Taking advantage of his reputation as a stylish film-maker Priyan's latest offering is shot against the backdrop of Rajasthan - allowing his camera to caress the earth, mustard and bronzed shades of the dessert. Saat Rang Ke Sapne, (the Hindi version of his hit film Then Mavin Kombathur) starring Juhi Chawla and Arvind Swamy is slated for release this month. But the question on everyone's lips is: Will the film go the way of all his previous Malayalam-to-Hindi remakes? A doubt that seems to have crossed Priyan's mind as well. Though he is excited about the project, he makes it a point to mention that commercial considerations were not overlooked. Says he, "It's like Tezaab made with the background of villages. And true to its title, the film is colourful."But even if it is a hit, his next film is sure to pull him down. Kabhi Na Kabhi, slated for a March release, seems to offer nothing new. Those who have seen the promos think the film looks suspiciously like Rangeela. The only difference: a plump Pooja Bhatt wears tiny scraps of clothes a la Urmila in Rangeela. Says he, "Rangeela was not the first film to have a heroine in scanty clothes. Besides, I'm not making my heroine dance on top of mountains in less clothes. The shots are taken on sea shores. But nothing in this film is real. It's a total masala film, totally exaggerated, like Amar, Akbar, Anthony."And totally out of sync with his claims of making only "real" films. In defence of Kabhi Na Kabhi, Priyan says, "The system here does not let you be." He refers to the stereotype that Bollywood is so much in love with: the system dictates to the director. And change is taboo.Which is why Priyadarshan is changing, adjusting to the rules of a world that he loves: cinema. And that is exactly why the director of the Miss World show does not ever wish to direct a similar event - ever. For Priyan, his world begins and ends at the altar of the 70 mm screen, a 21-inch idiot box will just not do. Says he, "I've seen the sea, I don't wish to see it through a key hole."
