Parthiban | Photo courtesy: S Siva Raj
Radhakrishnan Parthiban is a restless soul. He keeps coming up with new ideas, some of which turn into films and some turn into interesting dialogues in those films.
Some of them, in fact, even turn into gift ideas. For the audio launch of his last film Irvin NizhalThe actor-director entertained guests with a mouth organ. For his latest film, TeenzIn keeping with the theme, she also packed a ruler and blackboard along with the invitations.
He smiles and says, “If I sell some of my ideas or lines to an advertising agency, perhaps I would be a rich man today.”
In his office in Nandanam, Chennai, which is filled with film posters, awards and a variety of pens, Parthiban is scolding one of his assistants for serving tea in paper cups. He is at the same time talking to a theatre owner from Puducherry about show timings. The actor-director is a perfectionist, a fact he admits unabashedly. “My father taught me dedication and discipline, something I try to imbibe in my cinema life even today. There are some directors who can work with big stars in one or two films and charge crores… but they are the exception and not the norm. I consider myself the norm, because I am someone who has to struggle to make a film,” he says.
A scene from ‘Teens’
a separate line
TeenzHis latest film, composed by D Imman, revolves around a group of kids who are eager to announce to the world that they are “no longer kids.” Parthiban, who is usually known in the film industry for giving his projects lyrical Tamil titles such as Kudaikul Mazhai And Iravin Nizhal, It was a chance to experience the world of very young people. “The first scene that came to my mind was this: a girl with glasses wakes up and tells the world, ‘We are not children anymore.’ I based my story on this idea.”
Despite having a command over Tamil, Parthiban has chosen to spice up the scenes Teenz With very little dialogue and lots of English dialogue. “It had to connect with the audience,” he says. As a director, Parthiban is a man who improvises on the spot rather than sticking to a book that divides the day’s shooting sequences into long-shots, mid-shots and so on. “A lot of directors stick to the script book, and maybe that helps them finish films within the deadlines they have in mind. I work differently; I think of the next shot only after one shot is complete.”
He believes that Teenz This will be a response to the common criticism about Tamil cinema’s obsession with films based on violence. “I feel violence is not just in theatres but also on the streets, and films are a reflection of society, but Teenz It is a U-rated film. It is based on compassion and kindness, which are values I believe in as a person.
Parthiban’s eloquence is well known and he plans to make full use of it in a future project. “I have written a fun script that will be told in two parts. It will be a very big budget entertainer that will require 30 actors and most importantly, a good producer,” he says. That will have to wait, but for now, Parthiban 54m. Pakkathil Oru Mayiliragu, For which he is looking for the lead actress. Dark Webwhich is a modern take on his 1989 directorial debut Pudhia study, In which Parthiban will play the same role that he played 35 years ago. “After watching the recent Tamil film KingI had an idea: a man ends up in a police station because he lost his needle. I keep getting ideas for film plots, and it takes me about four days to write a script. In two weeks, I usually write four or five films. The biggest challenge is to decide which film to make and who will back it.”
