Human ego is a trait that is built like a house of cards. Flimsy, negligible arguments are layered on top of each other to form a structure that will collapse as soon as a fundamentally strong counterpoint challenges the foundations of this fragile structure. Actor Prathana Nathan's latest film, Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil, is about the clash of egos between multiple groups of people, each with its own agenda. Prathana plays Sowmiya, a woman who is caught between this clash, on the eve of her wedding. "Everybody has their own approach to cinema and acting. But beyond portraying Sowmiya, I wanted to be her and experience going through her emotions," says Prathana. Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil, starring Jiiva in the lead, is directed by Falimy maker Nithish Sahadev, in his first Tamil outing.
Although the film is about the ego of the men, played by Jiiva, Ilavarasu, and Thambi Ramaiah, the inciting incident revolves around Prathana's Sowmiya. “When a director is telling a story there is a feeling of rush, but it is the gut instinct that reaffirms my confidence in being able to pull off a character,” explains Prathana, adding, “Be it Love Today, Parking, or Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil, I chose to essay those characters because, beyond liking them, I was comfortable with portraying them.”
Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil is not the first time that a character, played by Prathana, is caught in an ego battle. In Parking, her character is used as a pawn in a fight over a car parking space between two neighbours. While Parking was set in the chaotic streets of Chennai, Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil is set in a scenic fictional town, with filming taking place in Cumbum. This aesthetic setting added a definite flavour to the film. “Nithish helped in creating an environment that echoed what the character has to feel. So when I have to shoot a scene where I am sad, or I have to cry, the whole set would carry that sad feeling,” says Prathana, who reveals that the team even played sad songs to maintain that sadness while filming. “It was ‘Anju Vanna Poove’ from Thug Life, which was continuously played to maintain that sadness. Similarly, for happy moments, we played a lot of songs, but ‘Vaada Vaada’ from Jiiva’s Kacheri Arambam was the go-to number."
Surprisingly, setting the stage for a scene didn't end there. “When it comes to Sowmiya, her emotions are fluctuating with the story, which is a stark difference from the other characters. But with all these fluctuations, the director was clear that the emotions on the screen should be clear and should gain the audience's empathy,” says Prathana, adding, “While shooting this film, one day we would shoot an energetic scene, and the next we would shoot a tragic one. So an hour before shooting a sad scene, the director would continuously converse with me about the character, her backstory, and why she behaves in a certain way. This helped me imbibe that mindset.”
If bringing varied emotions to the fore was a challenge, Prathana also faced another interesting sartorial challenge. “I had to show the highs and lows of Sowmiya while wearing a bright and festive dress. You see, the costumes usually change with the mood of the scenes. But I only had one costume, which posed a tricky challenge,” points out Prathana, who will next be seen in Sajin K Surendran’s Vaanavan, Murugu’s Ninja, and Maria Raja Ilanchezhiyan’s Happy Raj. “I am excited to reunite with Maria, who was the AD in Love Today. He was particular in wanting me for that character, and I am excited for audiences to watch it,” says Prathana, who believes every project she does is the result of her concerted efforts to be in cinema. "Even when I wasn’t called for an audition, I went out of my way to give my auditions to those projects. And over time, when I built contacts, I found my way into cinema,” says Prathana, who signs off with a sense of optimism that comes from dreamers of the persistent kind. “Cinema will continuously observe your love for it, and all it takes is a single moment for it to love you back. There is no looking back from that point.”