[Paul Bunyan]

God of small things

Syd Field? Who’s that?” asks director Bala, even as someone tells him that he’s broken some basic rules of filmmaking, set by world-famous screenwriters like Syd, with his latest film Naan Kadavul (NK).

It doesn’t take one long to realise that this maverick filmmaker isn’t being arrogant and that he is only being truthful when he says he isn’t into cinema other than Kollywood. “I don’t need world cinema to inspire me to make films,” he says quietly, “There are many things around me that are quite an inspiration.”

And he must be truly inspired to be able to blend commercial and creative elements so beautifully in all his films. Bala is just four films old, but the maturity he’s shown even while handling difficult characters has struck a chord with Tamil audiences.

He has received praise for his deft handling of Arya, Pooja and a group of people with special needs in his latest offering on screen. “There’s something in his eyes that drew me,” he says, when asked about his choice of Arya for the protagonist’s role, “There’s a cold look that perfectly suited the character I had in mind. He’s done a great job in the movie. The scenes in which he had to jump from one rock to another were so difficult for him as the script demanded that he land without bending his knees!”

His female lead Pooja, in a deglamourised role, has also received praise for the superb job she has done. “She had a special lens fitted in her eyes that meant that she couldn’t see while shooting,” elaborates the director, “Even for a back shot, she wore it so that it looked convincing on screen.”

He is known in industry circles as a taskmaster and a perfectionist, but why is it that he’s usually described as haughty? “It’s because I don’t talk much,” he smiles, “I’m generally reserved and my personal space is important to me. And the film’s title probably has some people thinking that I regard myself very highly!” But despite popular perception, Bala claims that he’s actually a very jovial person. “Even on the sets, I ensure that I have my share of fun. But when it comes to work, I strive for perfection.”

According to many, certain scenes in NK, that involved people with special needs, introduced them to a world that they never knew existed. How did he go about convincing them to act? “I screened about 5,000 people with special needs from districts near Madurai,” he explains, “I then selected a few and spoke to them. They were quite enthusiastic about the movie and all of them performed very naturally on screen.”

At the audio launch of the film, Mani Ratnam had said that he was Bala’s fan. Is that the best compliment he’s received? “He’s my role model,” stresses Bala, “There are so many things that I would like to talk to him about, but don’t know how to put across.”

While the industry considers his films rustic and offbeat, the filmmaker begs to differ. “I don’t like the traditional meaning given to the word commercial,” he says, “After all, it’s a film at the end of the day.”

So, what’s going on in his mind post NK? “Sometimes, I wish I could do a love story,” he says, “I think I’m in an image trap right now with all my films portraying ‘the other world’. So, I guess I’ll have to take the plunge into ‘commercial cinema’ soon. I’d also like to include more dance sequences in my films in future.” Bala also has a dream project, and that’s a historical subject. “It’ll probably take three years to script and another three years to film,” he smiles. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I...ow/4105699.cms