The Mysskin interview

May 24, 2017

Wow! Must watch for the weekend (unless I get to it before that).

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Iswarya

Terrific interview. He appears much more relaxed than he usually seems. There’s such respect and enthusiasm in how he talks to you and you definitely look like you are enjoying your interaction with him. So delightful to watch. 🙂

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rkjk

Brilliant. The best one so far. Looked like both of you enjoyed doing this interview. One peculiar fact is that all of Mysskin’s currently-reading novels are Russian/Japanese. Clearly the guy is a Dostoevsky nut and seems to enjoy European literature. His art consumption pattern is quite obviously overwhelmingly European. The filmmakers he venerates are gods of European art house cinema. Yet he works in a mainstream space making offbeat films for a Tamil audience. Not that mainstream filmmakers shouldn’t derive inspiration from niche works but I find the complete absence of any American classic and the fact that he watches very few Tamil films very interesting. While he explained a particular inspiration from Bresson, I find his films to be far removed from the art he consumes. I mean how does he even figure out what the audience wants if he doesn’t watch the films they watch?

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Jyoti S Kumar

I wonder whether there are other interviewers in Tamil industry who tries to understand the creative process rather than try to get sound bytes… I guess even for the interviewees, speaking only in English is also a novel thing… I hope you are linking your reviews of his previous movies for those who are interested in knowing more about him and his movies.

To be frank I’ve watched only chithram pesuthadi… And it had stayed with me for a very long time after the movie was over. The expression of the father when he was seen outside the whorehouse and also one dialogue by the uncle – it goes something like even though I seem to look big/intimidating, I am afraid – or something like that… These two scenes for me brought out some kind of raw emotion, that was tangible and affecting…

Is his movie making also like the way he speaks? All the words are right and very big words indeed, but somewhere the grammar is wrong….

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trbharathwaj

Brilliant! An interview with Bala next would be great.

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Ragenikanth

Thanks BR , a big fan mysskin never get bored watching his movies

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hattorihanzo4784

superb interview!!!

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R

Is it a compulsion to do interviews only in English? I felt a lot was lost in translation…could be just me…nice one…The interviews makes one see their creative processes in a different light…

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Ravi K

I accidentally submitted my comment without including my response to rkjk’s comment. Please delete the first one. Thanks.

rkjk wrote: “While he explained a particular inspiration from Bresson, I find his films to be far removed from the art he consumes. I mean how does he even figure out what the audience wants if he doesn’t watch the films they watch?”

Kamal Hassan is also an avid cinephile, and in his interview with Rangan he mentioned Ophuls’ “The Earrings of Madame De…” and how a Tamil filmmaker can only be influenced so much by such a film because the audience wouldn’t accept it otherwise. Perhaps Mysskin is in touch with the culture in general and doesn’t necessarily need to see the films?

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R: Don’t you want non-Tamil cinephiles to know who Mysskin is, what he is about?

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blurb

Genuine and engaging interaction!

I do agree with R though. I had to rewind a few times to follow through what Mysskin was saying.

We definitely want non-tamil speakers to know about Mysskin, but we also want Mysskin to converse in a language that comes naturally as the conversation flows.

I wonder if there’s any way around it. Subtitles?

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blurb

I want to add to my previous comment — I had to rewind a few times to follow through Mysskin in the beginning parts where he talks about his dreams, how the seed for an idea comes from there, and art. It could have well been that the content was… over the head for me that I had to go back a few times. It probably has not much to do with English being the medium of conversing.

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R

From your viewpoint it is perfect that these interviews should reach a larger audience… I felt the same with Dhanush interview…lost in translation…don’t cinephiles enjoy cinema in any language from subtitles…felt same holds good for interviews too…am not debating though… thanks

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hhsr

@(B)R :

I agree with R’s view that certain things seemed lost in translation. Would have loved to hear the artist express themselves in the language they are most comfortable in. I think that having them speak in English is a sub-optimal solution to the cause of expanding the reach of the interview. Understand the compulsion to expand audience to beyond Tamils. But you could achieve that objective by sub-titling. Hard work, but hey, it is for a cause, right?

Just an example of why getting him to speak in English was maybe not the best thing. I found the whole Chinese-Vietnamese explanation sadly comical. It sounded terribly racist the way he put it. I gave him some benefit of doubt only because he otherwise comes across as very well read and a deep thinker. Maybe he would have sounded a lot better if he had tried to phrase his thoughts in Tamizh?

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rkjk

@Ravi K: Yeah but even the films themselves are kind of divorced from reality. It is a very tricky process to keep a tab on people’s tastes. You just don’t know what the next big thing is because consumers are very finicky and impulsive. I mean KV’s romance track was pretty realistic but it bombed big. Which is also why you have these exhibitors/distributors butchering a film after the first day after “gauging audience feedback”.

A sure-fire formula one day can lead to a mega failure the next day. Even Brangan said he watches all big hits just to gain insight on people’s preferences, fads and whatnot. A Michael Haneke can probably film paint drying and still have it in contention in Cannes. But Myshkin’s films depend on BO performance. So my question is how does Myshkin gauge the reach of his project and therefore its critical acceptance?

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"Original" venkatesh)

Lovely interview this.

It almost looked like Mysskin was energised by being able to open up about his obsessions, his way of thinking and his outlook on films.

Kudos BR.

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"Original" venkatesh)

rkjk: “So my question is how does Myshkin gauge the reach of his project and therefore its critical acceptance?”

What makes you think he makes his movies for an audience ?

From what i get about him , he makes movies for himself – the fact that some viewers like it is an added bonus.

In his biggest hit Anjaathe , he had a villain whose face is never visible, he had a character who is never seen… he might not be a Haneke .. he is definitely an auteur though.

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Raj

@ BR: Won’t subtitles suffice for non-Tamil cinephiles.Many interested Tamil cinephiles might not be very comfortable in English.. Once again boils down to what is the key objective of the program- spread thoughts of Tamil movie directors to non-Tamil cinephiles and spread the goodness of Tamil movies or cater to Tamil cinephiles and give them a deeper understanding behind creators vision?

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keshavfound

KUROSAWA and BRESSON are his Gods! FANTASTIC!

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keshavfound

@ rkjk Michael Haneke films are not about paint drying, very engaging films he makes, so wrong example.

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"Original" venkatesh)

The English part was something that was not comfortable. Its catering to the Lowest Common Denominator ., no one is satisfied by it. , however everyone can partake.

So it continues.

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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)

Looking at the description, I thought the interview was going to be a mish-mash of low-angle and bird’s-eye shots. Thankfully, nothing is of that sort. 🙂

Although not a big fan of his works, your views about him, especially in the comments section of the blog, has changed my perception about his filmmaking style. Looking forward to the next part.

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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)

Jyoti S Kumar: All the words are right and very big words indeed, but somewhere the grammar is wrong….

Neaaatuuuu!

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rkjk

Yeah from the interviews it is quite clear he doesn’t give two hoots about the audience. Still a strange stance for a mainstream filmmaker. I would love to be in the room when he is pitching his story to a financier.

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Madan Mohan

Great interview. I have only watched the one film yet of his, OAK, and need to catch up with the rest of his work. I find it endearing to see and hear him talk about all these foreign directors and Russian authors in a strong Tamil accent (kind of like his idol Illayaraja talking about Mozart or Bach). I have wondered if in the last few years we have begun to lose confidence in our essential Indian-ness, as if an accent is something to be ashamed of (while the originality or lack thereof of the product itself doesn’t matter as long as it looks suitably Western). Well, at least Mysskin isn’t like that, that’s for sure.

On another note, I think it’s a blessing in disguise that the interview was in English. If what I have seen of his past interviews is anything to go by, interviewing him in Tamil would be like going for a jog with Usain Bolt (to borrow a comparison I read in some article, not about Mysskin). He had to at least take a little more time to compose his answers in English, which made the pace more manageable imo. Looking forward to part 2 and more (if any).

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GODZ

It’s really rare that a Director says “I lost my track” “Major Flaw” “Important flaw I committed”…How many directors would say that? I am seeing a completely different Version of Myskin here. But the Hurt is still there for me. Touted as the first superhero movie in tamil, I was so excited for “Mugamoodi” that I watched it the first day and I was so angry that I never watched a Myskin movie till this day. How can you mess up such a huge opportunity? But it’s heartening to see that the director has realized his flaws and learned from his mistakes. I am really looking forward to Thuparivalan.

But with full respect to Myskins freedom of will to choose, I sometimes find it so ridiculous when people say Kurosawa..and stuff and I don’t watch taaamil movies..I mean why not Balachandar..Bharathiraja…K.Viswanath.or any Indian movie makers. The problem with some of them is they assume or adamant that greatness does not exist in sub continent..For them It always exists outside of subcontinent and it’s for this very reason they themselves are not being admired as the great filmmakers in the long run. It won’t hurt Myskin if he worships some local Gods too. I also see he is so obsessed with this “ism” which i am not sure if he is aware actually limiting him and make his characters and Protagonist appear monotonous.throughout his works.

But nice interview..Its nice to see BR finally adapting quickly to this visual medium, breaking the mold and showing some nice gestures…

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rkjk

@keshavfound I meant Haneke has the clout to make anything he wants and people will watch. A Haneke film is an automatic entry in any top festival. None of our filmmakers have that privilege.

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Finally did watch Anjathey. Agree with your review as well as some comments that there were stretches of indulgence that made it a drag in places. But the pay off was great. Already, he was able to express a lot without dialogue. There were more masala elements and a typical sentimental post script which he seemed to have got rid of by the time of OAK.

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Part 2 is up now.

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“.I mean why not Balachandar.. Bharathiraja… K.Viswanath.or any Indian movie makers” – Has he said though that he has not watched old Tamil films? Given that he is a huge Raja freak, I doubt that is the case. I took what he said in the interview to imply contemporary Tamil films.

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sakratalkie

His comments from 13:40 onwards perfectly sums up my feelings for “The Revenant”. This is definitely one of the best interview I’ve watched so far

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Amrita Ravimohan

A little late to comment but nonetheless… I am an avid non-Tamil reader of BRangan’s blog. I read most of Tamil film reviews (of course along with Hindi) for the sheer poetry of the writing, despite never having watched a Tamil film in my life. So also I’ve enjoyed his recent video interviews with Mani Ratnam, Ramya & now Mysskin. A follower like me wouldn’t enjoy the interviews half as much if they were subtitled. Not sure how many others like me visit frequently but these are my two cents…

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pato

Myskkin is so intense even while speaking.I have never seen Myskkin so indulged and excited in an interview.

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Amrita Ravimohan: it’s not just you. Statistics show that it’s a minuscule number that watches subtitled films and videos. Not to mention the cost and effort of subtitling…

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Maru

Bravo, Brangan – amazing interview! slow, appreciative clap It gave me a sense who Mysskin is as an artist and where his films come from. What I really loved was how eager he was to explain his process, it was as if he was waiting for an importunity like this. While I get that artists don’t want to or aren’t always able to explain their process, it thrills me when they can and do, especially when it’s with so much clarity. If I wasn’t already a fan who’s watched all his films I’d be rushing to do a Mysskin retrospective. 🙂

I think Mysskin would likely say that his struggles/flaws to explain himself in English added to the authenticity of his expression and in this case I’d have to agree. 😀 Blurb: I think your comment on the content being complicated and difficult to express regardless of language is very true. The journey from images in dreams to a concrete plot isn’t one that seems particularly easy to understand much less express even for the most articulate and fluent of communicators in any language.

I found the contradictions in some of responses kinda interesting in that he rejected the notion that he was Hitchcock-esque in being a control maniac – said he doesn’t generally storyboard and allows dialogue and performance to evolve naturally, yet he blithely acknowledges being a control freak with cinematography and music, his love of Pather Panchali despite his choreographing his films to a T. I’m not sure I know what to make of the contradictions. Did you have a take on that, Brangan?

Thanks, Brangan for bringing this terrific piece to us. You do know you’ve kinda set yourself a pretty high bar here, right? I’m going to be looking for this kind of interview here on in. 😉

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nadnivara (@rnadnivara)

Wonderful interview!

I wish this continued for another hour! Such an interesting “character” he is.

Can you write a piece about the lone wolf Mysskin that we did not get to see in the video?

Analogous to how he puts his camera away from the ‘main action’ to show the environment.

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Winfred Raj

Have seen most of Mysskin’s interviews and this one turned out to be the most interesting. Regarding the fact that the medium of conversation was English – as long as Rangan and Mysskin are ready and OK to do it in English the rest does not matter – what matters was the personality dynamics, openness and energy. There is no guarantee that the same magic would have been there or the interview would been better (could have turned out bad even – who knows) had the interview been in Tamil. Just like his films, guess they did it more for themselves caring less about the audience and in the process and the interview much more enjoyable. Thanks Ranganji.

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Couldnt agree more with Maru. Easily the best one to date. And very well choreographed 🙂

Very passionate individual and somehow his shortcomings in communicating in English actually helps bring out his “raw” honesty and passion better than if he were more articulate.

The same passion came out in an Airtel Super singer show (theme : Ilayaraja : who else ?) . He mentioned something about “danger seeping in” when one kid sang “Poongaatru kuliraanadhu” (Moondram Pirai)

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A few things:

While it may be true that he’s only talking about not watching newer Tamil films, it may also be that he just does not care for a Balachander or a Viswanath. He may not find them cinematic enough. And that’s fine, IMO. And a refreshingly un-PC attitude. Not everyone has to worship the accepted pantheon.
While speaking to him, I genuinely did not get the feeling that he was uncomfortable speaking in English. I was always able to understand him, and if the complaint is that he doesn’t speak what is commonly accepted as “convent” English, then that’s true of many, many Indians. The important thing is that the communication comes through, and IMO it came through beautifully.
And Maru, these contradictions are what make an artist fascinating, these unresolved “loose ends.” 😀

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“The same passion came out in an Airtel Super singer show (theme : Ilayaraja : who else ?) . He mentioned something about “danger seeping in” when one kid sang “Poongaatru kuliraanadhu” (Moondram Pirai)” – Yes, he said the guitar riff evoked an angry bull or a tiger. Something like that. I was like, I have never thought of a metaphor like that for that song. That was a fascinating episode, a rare break from the typically nauseating PC-ness on that show. They could really do with Anu Malik. I mean, we can leave aside his composing skills but as a musician-cum-presenter, he’s at least very entertaining and not afraid to tell an aspirant that he didn’t like the performance. Though even he has toned it down lately.

“it may also be that he just does not care for a Balachander or a Viswanath” – Quite possible because he came down like a ton of bricks on a reporter who told him that he should have added at least one song in OAK to help it run while admitting that the film had no scope for songs. He’s professed to being against the talkies culture of our films. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that either. There is a video of a performance of the late, great Jeff Buckley where before the song, he says, “60s = shit, 70s = bigger shit, 80s = * makes a gesture as if it’s indescribably bad”. And then he says “now” and makes a gesture as if it’s the only stuff that matters. I was surprised by that since he was obviously influenced by classic rock but I realised that that irreverence might have helped him break away and display a very refreshingly different approach in just the one album. So, yes, it’s ok if an artist doesn’t feel compelled to pay obeisance to his predecessors. He does mention Pather Panchali and Kamal films for comedy so I get the sense that he will take what he likes rather than namma films v/s their films kind of dichotomy.

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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)

He has spoken good things about Mahendran and Balu Mahendra in many interviews. Not sure he’s a fan of their works but he considers both as ‘pathbreakers’. But, if there’s one director in Tamil that he’s probably fond of it has to be S. Balachander (given his Kurosawa influence this shouldn’t be a surprise though). He talks so passionately about him here:

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Honest Raj : Thanks ! Great stuff. One passionate individual speaking about another passionate individual.

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Eswarprasath Jayaraman

Enjoyed the interview. Thank You BR.

Regarding creating movies from imagery and dreams, Mysskin talks about this in Anand Pandian’s book Reel World (BR did a blurb for this book). In the chapter aptly titled ‘Dreams’ Mysskin discusses again about Yutham Sei and the conception of the plot. One of the interesting chapters in the book. I had to watch Yudham Sei again after reading that chapter.

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blurb

Example of a fabulous subtitled interview:

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keshavfound

Example of another brilliant interview. Form a call country Philippines:

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Blurb : Thanks for the dubbed interview ! “Excitement lo nidhra laydhu” Really enjoyed it

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Filistine

“…While speaking to him, I genuinely did not get the feeling that he was uncomfortable speaking in English.”

Indeed. To me, it felt like he (and Baddy, of course) were very comfortable conversing in English.

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R

Part 2

Did you forget your lines or what you wanted to ask, during this interview?

This guy seems to be going into different zones with every answer.

He doesn’t allow you ask your question until he has given out all he wanted to say…

Must have been difficult to bring him back to the interview…

Truly an amazing film making style, his.

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Padawan

Saar, unga favorite movie Mozhi director’s next movie Brindavanam review illaya? 😛

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Aadhy

Fantastic interview. Mysskin is fascinating to listen to, especially when he’s not ranting about how Tamil cinema is going to the gutter. Here he seems to explode with tonnes of positive energy, finally having gotten to talk to someone who understands the idiosyncrasies in his craft. Every answer of his is in the form of a story, reflecting his passion towards storytelling. He seemed pretty conversant in English, and I also felt he really has an expansive vocabulary ( had to look “dilettante” up).

But my favorite part has to be BR showing off his Martial Arts skills with that large cleaver.

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blurb

Just finished watching part 2. What a passionate interview!

It must be difficult for people to look directly into the eyes of someone who speaks so passionately. Maybe he figured it out, and that’s why he wears sunglasses all the time?

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Prashila

May 31, 2017

BR sir, with this, your interviews have finally reached the class and level of your reviews/columns that us mortals are so obsessed with. Absolutely loved watching it, despite not having watched any of Mysskin films. And goodness gracious, Mysskin’s mind and his speech is so… psychedelic, and like everyone else said he seems so happy to have finally found someone who understands and appreciates his passion. I really hope that the Buddha film he mentioned gets made in the way he wants to make it. It sounded absolutely interesting.

I now hope to finally start watching his work, starting with Nandalala which I have wanted to watch forever. I guess I could also see why he says Pather Panchali is his favorite Indian movie. He seems to be obsessed with keeping things ‘simple’ and Pather Panchali was just that, even as he reasoned. Fantastic insight that was.

P.S. Sorry, this is probably just my melancholic and jaded mind speaking today, but your flowery(?) shirt was really distracting. 🙂 Something about men wearing such shirts turns the crack switch in my brain. I remember giving a former colleague good grief every time he wore to office a shirt similar to what you were wearing. Poor guy, he must have hated me because his wife bought it for him and he really liked wearing it. 🙂

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hidnana

May 31, 2017

Fantastic interview BR.

OAK and Pisasu were 2 of his films that even my talkie liking parents loved. Particularly it was so refreshing to see a “Nalla Pei” in Pisasu. 🙂 His movie making style with top angle, night shots, add terrific atmosphere to his films along with some operaic music. But at times he gets too indulgent (e.g., Nandhalala). Eagerly waiting his Thupparivalan.

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Jyoti S Kumar

Congratulations sir, on the blog being part of the Indian Top Blogs!

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"Original" Venkatesh

Ramchander Krishna (@ramctheatheist)

Part 2 was awesome.

I felt that Mysskin was excited to be able to talk intricacies of his cinema without having to lower the intellectual portions down.

He could blithely talk about camera angles, space between shots, the indulgence in his cinema and his dictatorial tendencies in a very straight forward manner.

Hats off BR. Just perfect.

Re; His English : His vocabulary is actually quite rich and he uses words that while not common place are easily comprehensible.

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https://www.filmcompanion.in/article/5-filmmaking-tropes-of-mysskin

I simple love Mysskin. Although his movies are an eclectic mix, I see “compassion” as the single piece of thread that ties all of them together. This article is my homage to him –

@Maru: I don’t think there are any contradictions in what Mysskin spoke. He said he isn’t mathematical in his approach to shots and filmmaking like Hitchcock. He didn’t deny being a control freak. And he admires the sincerity and simplicity of Pather Panchali. Likewise he says his shots and compositions are simple and sincere. There are no contradictions!

@Rangan: Needless to say, great interview! I loved two moments. When you mentioned Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali being his favourite film, Mysskin immediately established a link to his movies with a single word “simplicity”. If you think about it, although films of Ray and Mysskin seem like poles apart, they’re connected by that single word. Likewise when you mentioned monologues being from the theatre, he instantly pointed out that it’s drawn from life, from real people we see around us. The whole interview was like the two of you solving a jigsaw together. You bring forth one piece that doesn’t fit and he pulls out the matching piece from his pocket in the blink of an eye. Terrific!

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Ramchander Krishna: The whole interview was like the two of you solving a jigsaw together. You bring forth one piece that doesn’t fit and he pulls out the matching piece from his pocket in the blink of an eye. Terrific!

That was just lovely. Thanks so much.

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RoHaN

June 2, 2017

“…While speaking to him, I genuinely did not get the feeling that he was uncomfortable speaking in English.”

Agree with BR above, surprised to see comments saying he didn’t seem comfortable in English. He seemed extremely comfortable in English to me. Maybe people were focussing on his accent.

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RoHaN

June 2, 2017

Jyoti S Kumar: “I wonder whether there are other interviewers in Tamil industry who tries to understand the creative process rather than try to get sound bytes…”

I think there are people in Tamil who do (like Gnani Shankar), but too quickly they become ideological rather than free-flowing in how they direct their thoughts as interviewers. So they focus on the same old questions of “art versus commercial”, or, “should movies educate or entertain the audience”, or “how do we bring our audience up to the level of world cinema audiences”, and such. Even the relatively free-flowing Kamal Haasan ventures into this worn territory a bit too often.

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June 3, 2017

Part II was even better than Part I. Particularly his views on martial arts. Couldnt help noticing his inconsistent grammar but which really made the interview a compelling watch in that he bamboozles you with words like “Providence” and “Dilletante’ on one hand and then uses grammar like “:MYSELF is also a Kungfu….(searches for his next word)” .

Probably the closest we can come to a Quentin Tarantino of Tamil cinema

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MANK

June 7, 2017

i thoroughly enjoyed both the parts. i have seen a lot of his interviews and speeches where he comes across as combative and over emotional. but this was perfect. you asked all the right questions. the fact that he respects you as a critic must have also helped

A couple of things i specially noticed about the interview. one you have broken the routine of interviewing people when they have a release just round the corner. it was getting a little monotonous.. so a visit to the sets of none other than Mysskin is a welcome change

secondly , you seemed to have developed as an interview ‘Director’. the way you shot this one, with multiple cameras and moving the camera and all. i dont know how much of it was your idea and how much input was there from the technical team . not all that technically perfect , but this looked different from having you and the interviewee just sitting across on 2 chairs and talking.

the fight rehearsals provided a fitting backdrop to the whole interview. the fight scenes in his movies are always unique ,whether its the hospital fight in Anjaathey , the bridge fight in Yudham sei or the climactic fight with 2 samurai like fighters in OA, they are all choreographed and staged very differently from the ones that we usually get to see in movies .

A lot of great stuff in the interview itself. it was wonderful to get to know about his inspirations and this favorite films , the thought process behind his cinematic trademarks . his devotion to Kurosawa seems to border on obsession.

That Buddha film, wasn’t it same one which Kamal was seeking foreign funding from Barry osborne- the producer of LOTR films-, it was in the news at that time . Actually i am glad that that film didn’t happen . with a 70 cr budget , i don’t know how much of Mysskin’s persona would have remained in the film. it would most possibly had ended up like Bombay Velvet or Rangoon . And the more i have watched his films, the more i doubt whether he needs someone like Kamal to execute his vision. because he is the superstar of his own movies. he seems to work much better with rank newcomers or may be himself as the lead character. Any way, Kamal is now too old to play that character. if he could get the picture made at a reduced budget with a different actor , this could be an interesting film. because at a 100 cr budget, the film has to be something like Bahubali to turn in a profit and Mysskin is just too much of an idiosyncratic filmmaker to turn in anything like that. so that means compromises and the film would end up neither here nor there.

But the most fascinating part of the interview was Mysskin himself. he is such a unique and intriguing character. he comes across as – how do i put it – a character straight out of a Michael Mann film . who has this heightened sense of self awareness. just so much in tune with his strengths and weaknesses. where he failed and why and how, if he wasn’t a filmmaker , he could very well have been a master criminal . the way he deconstructs what went wrong with Mughamoodi was so spot on. and what he did to get back in form by making OA and Pissassu.

now i will await the release of thupparivalan. meanwhile, i hope we get to see more interactions between you two in the future

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Enna koduka sir pera

June 7, 2017

I really liked the interview. Mysskin seemed very happy to talk to you and share his thoughts. Also, I disagree that Mysskin could have been uncomfortable speaking in English for this interview… he conveyed his thoughts fluidly. Who cares for errors in one’s language when the primary purpose is communication as in this instance and he could communicate abstract thoughts/feelings beautifully.

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Chandra Prakash

June 24, 2017

Fantastic interview, first time I am watching an interview by one of the fine film maker’s interview who has spoken with so much details of film making, his style, details of origin of concept, conceptualization of simple plots etc, really awesome interview. Every thing he spoke appeared like he didn’t fake anything or deliberately vague unlike a few others.

Two things that was glaring for me , but I enjoyed:

First time I see the interviewee interrupting the interviewer so many times, (he would be a great interviewee to all those interviewers Bosskey, Suhasini who don’t let their guests speak but keep interrupting )

secondly, I thought he was making you ( BR) restless at times, not letting you ask the question you actually wanted to ask (he didn’t seem he was doing it intentionally, but too over enthusiastic and passionate on what he was trying to convey).

Lots of positive things, accepting his failure (mugamudi), appropriately recognising BR as a great critic, in total thoroughly enjoyed the interview.

A request, during your other director’s interview, ask them if they want to watch your (this) interview with Mysskin, if they want to watch, before you interview them, just to get an idea

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MANK

September 11, 2017

Brangan, have you seen the Thupparivaalan trailer, any thoughts?

I feel it is heavily inspired by the BBC series Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch with Prasanna doubling for Martin Freeman’s Watson. But it looks real good, Packed with all the Mysskinisms – the ground level shots, the color palette etc etc, everything seems to be there

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