He spins magic on celluloid, crafting enticing tales about human relationships. Shyamaprasad, a director with an enviable oeuvre, is at it again with Hey Jude, which he calls a tale of a few quirky characters. His approach towards his craft never changes, but the director's latest venture is quite unlike anything he has done before, for it is light-hearted and breezy. As Hey Jude releases this Friday, the director gets chatty about his new venture, that stars Nivin Pauly and Trisha in the lead.
‘Hey Jude’ looks a bit different from your earlier movies. What has changed?
There isn't much of a difference in the technique. My earlier movies were treated in a way they needed to be, but the difference is that they might have appealed only to a narrow section of people while Hey Jude is a fun romantic film, which a broader section of people would love. It has a feel-good factor, and the ambience itself is very breezy.
Every character in ‘Hey Jude’ seems to be an oddball.
It is a coming-of-age drama about a man's discovery of himself. Every other character in Hey Jude is quirky, from the protagonist Jude to Crystal played by Trisha, to his parents. They all have strange idiosyncrasies. Then, it is a musical mosaic as well. We have four music directors - Jayachandran, Rahul Raj, Ouseppachan and Gopi Sunder - creating some brilliant compositions. The music reflects the mood of fun and laughter the movie has.
This is your third movie with Nivin Pauly. What lures you to him?
First of all, I like him as a person. He is someone who is constantly exploring opportunities. My first venture with him was English, which was an anthology movie. The next was Ivide, where he was cast alongside Prithviraj. Ever since then, I wanted to work with him in a movie where he gets more space to perform as an actor. In Hey Jude, he has pushed himself, and come out of the comfort zone to play Jude. He has given an extraordinary performance. I think it is his best till date.
What led you to Trisha, who chose Hey Jude to make her Malayalam debut?
Trisha, though a Malayali, has never appeared in any of our movies. And, I have always wanted to cast her. So when the script came up, I felt she is the best choice to play Crystal, who is a Malayali but has an alien aura. She looked very convincing in Vinnaithandi Varuvaya, where she played a Malayali. Once she listened to the story, she was ready to pitch in. Her performance as a Goa-based Malayali girl is perfect. Sayanora has dubbed for her and has done a great job.
Your movies are technically brilliant. And, tell us how you successfully keep up with the changing times
Yes, I make it a point to surround myself with technically-brilliant people like our DOP Girish Gangadharan. For, they are the ones who execute my vision. Talents like them push my limits. As for my approach towards filmmaking, I make it a point to tune my sensibilities at times. I read, meet people, watch a lot of movies and travel, wherein I acclimatise myself with things happening in cinema and life. As a director, my job should be to creatively create a world, and for that, I need to make movies that sound and talk about today's concerns.