Near the Anjumana temple at Kochi, every morning and evening, a retired Army major would take a brisk walk. One night, at 8 pm, set designer Gangan Thalavil arrived with his team of carpenters. Within a few hours, a tea shop was set up, with a height of 16 ft and a width of 20 ft. This was for a scene in the film, Ee Parakkum Thalika, which later became a box-office hit.
The next morning when the Major appeared, he looked shocked. He kept walking around the shop, wondering how it could suddenly appear in the night.
“I used Plaster of Paris to make the walls, and added a red-tiled roof,” says Gangan. “It looked like a real shop.” It took some time before Gangan was able to convince the Major that the shop was part of a film set.
All this is nothing new for Gangan who is known for his realistic designs. He has made set designs for more than 50 films in Mollywood over a 27-year career.
In a film called Phantom, superstar Mammooty uses a JCB excavator to destroy a house. “But when you see the film you will not know that it is a set piece,” says Gangan. “Rather you would think it is an actual house and what a waste it has been to destroy it.”
Gangan says his best work is that of a well that he made for a recent film, The Last Supper. “A man falls into it and another man goes down to save him,” says Gangan. “I made it from the ground up, 18 ft high, with a width of 8 ft, so that the cameraman could stand at the bottom and shoot comfortably. I used natural ferns, pieces of wood, Plaster of Paris and leaves.”
| “Being an art director gives me an advantage when it comes to conceptualising a movie.” |
To do creative work, Gangan needs a cooperative director. “There should be an understanding between the director and art director,” he says. “Only when that is there do I accept a film.”
One who has worked with Gangan on several films is director Rajasenan. “Gangan has the ability to conceptualise what I have in my mind perfectly,” he says. “A talented painter, he has always made the sets in a beautiful and economical manner.”
Some of the well-known films on which Gangan has worked include Aadyathe Kanmani, Anniyan Bava Chettan Bava and Chandranudikkunna Dikkil. But, today, as part of an older generation, Gangan is keenly aware that times are changing.
“Many of the new-generation directors have no idea of the art director’s role,” says Gangan. “They are not looking for creative designs. They will copy a frame from a foreign film, and ask the art designer to make a similar set. So you don’t need any creativity for that.”
This lack of importance given to set designing is a mistake, he feels. “It is true that the audience only looks only at the artistes’ performances, but, without a set, which is the frame of a film, it cannot be a success,” says Gangan.
Not surprisingly, Gangan is turning director. “Being an art director gives me an advantage when it comes to conceptualising a movie,” he says. “I am also following in the footsteps of others.”
Indeed, he is. Noted directors like Bharathan, Hariharan and IV Sasi began their careers as set designers.