Director Chimbudevan is clearly in a hurry as we managed to speak to him just a few days before the release of his upcoming film. boatAs usual, there is a lot of last-minute work, but that doesn’t stop the cartoonist-turned-filmmaker from revealing details about the making of the Yogi Babu-starrer. Much of the film revolves around a boat full of people in the open sea, and Chimbudevan says writing the story was an interesting experience.
words on the water
“I read Ernest Hemingway’s ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ in my school days and that is the inspiration behind this film. Over the years, novels like Sandilian’s ‘Kadal Pura’ and ‘Thanneer Desam’ and several films too have attracted me to stories based on the sea. The sea itself is like a living being – given the atmosphere with clouds, sky, wind and weather – and it keeps evolving. With the political situation in 1943 and the power of humanity, that is what inspires me. boat “The grandfather of one of my friends was one of the five lakh people who fled Madras after the city was bombed by Japanese aircraft. He told me how a certain section would board boats and go to the sea to escape the bombing,” says Chimbudevan.
The filmmaker admits that he had no idea about the shooting process while writing the story. “We faced a lot of problems while shooting the film. Cinematographer Madhesh Manickam and I scouted for locations; all the places had high tides. Rameswaram had better tides but it was crowded. We finally chose Uvari near Tiruchendur as the spot.”
fresh off the boat
But for the producers, this was not even half the bridge crossed boat“We needed a boat that could accommodate ten people and the boat we initially got did not even have space for the artistes to move around. Then (late) art director Santhanam found a boat in Kerala which had to be modified in Rameswaram, as we no longer have rudder-driven boats,” the filmmaker said.
A scene from ‘Boat’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Despite getting the boat, Chimbudevan and his team faced several other difficulties. “If we were shooting in the jungle, we could clear the surface; if it was on top of a hill, it would be challenging to climb and once we climbed up, we could start. But the most difficult terrain to shoot in has to be the sea! First of all, we couldn’t predict when the tide would be high or low. Maybe that’s why we call it ‘Kadal Thai’ because it should suit us,” says the filmmaker who began shooting just three days after figuring it out.
come hell or high water
“We also had fishermen around for safety, and there was equipment that had fallen into the sea that had to be retrieved. We would shoot half of a scene and then the natural light would change, which meant we had to wait for several days to shoot the rest. When it rained, there was no shelter and the actors’ wet clothes had to be dried before they could shoot again. But the best part is that we captured those experiences and hopefully the audience will feel what we felt.”
Ask him if the audience will pay attention to the struggles going on behind the scenes, and a smiling Chimbudevan says, “If someone else decides to shoot their film in the same area, they will probably understand what we went through. The audience doesn’t need to know about it because only the end product matters to them. One can even shoot in space or inside a volcano, but it will only work if the experiences can be converted into an interesting story… I believe boat I have done this.”
the rest is history
this be it boator his previous movies like Pulikesi, Irumbukkottai Murattu Singam Or Police, Many of the filmmaker’s works are based on historical background. “We are living a sophisticated life today because of the decisions, ideologies and movements of our ancestors. If we had not got our independence, life would have been different. Our life today is influenced by our history, so this is what interests me the most,” says Chimbudevan.
“I also feel that our history has been tampered with for a long time. I don’t think freedom fighters from our country or Bengal region get the respect that people from Bombay and Delhi get. During World War II, a lot of Indians fought, but there is no film made on it Dunkirk Not a single Indian was shown in it. Articles show that about 25 lakh Indians lost their lives fighting for the British in that war, but it is not recognized anywhere. That is why even boat It is based on the backdrop of war
Director Chimbudevan on the sets of ‘Boat’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Based on the trailer, which shows the boat’s inhabitants coming from different ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds, one can assume the ship to be the country itself. Chimbudevan, in fact, is known for such metaphors in his works. “The scene we are watching can have two layers; if the first layer has a solid main plot supported by good performances, no one would mind the metaphors in the second layer. When I used to be a cartoonist, we used to do that in our works and when I apply the same to films, they are interesting here too. PulikesiFor example, one shot shows several paintings on the wall and there is also a painting by Pablo Picasso. It doesn’t necessarily have to be noticed or understood, but if it does, it’s a bonus,” says the filmmaker who infuses his films with multiple messages.
not just for fun
“It helps the audience connect with the story, as it might be something they have noticed too. I firmly believe that a message cannot reform society. When I do this in my films it is like a gentle reminder. Pulikesi Again, a character will break the fourth wall and joke about how twins separated at birth will always be together. Similarly, messages can also be shared, which can be disguised as a joke.”
Lyrics of PulikesiThis was Vadivelu’s first film as a solo lead and same happened with Santhanam and Ganja Karuppu Arai N 305-Il Kadavul. now with boatHe is teaming up with Yogi Babu, who has now moved to the lead role after being a comedian for several years.
“If the story demands a particular actor and the producer can make a profit out of it, anyone can become a hero. I personally select actors based on the requirement of the story and sometimes a hero works and sometimes a comedian excels. If the business aspect works, nothing can be better than that,” says Chimbudevan who has tried out all genres, from westerns to (Irumbukkottai Murattu Singam) and magical realism (Oru Kanniyum Moonu Kalavanikalum) Hyperlinked stories (Casada Tabara) and compilation (victim).
“These are all things that earlier filmmakers tried and succeeded in. In the first 20 years of the invention of cinema, films of all genres were made. Whatever the format, the idea is to deliver a successful film and whatever the genre, if it is interesting the audience will celebrate it.”
Boat is releasing in cinemas on August 2
