For a cinematographer, every frame has to be important.
Luckily, 'Petta' encompasses all the dimensions of Rajini sir's performances. His main strengths are his charm, style, and the fun that he represents.
A short film is not a shortened feature film. It has a soul of its own.
Rajini sir has always been a part of my life from childhood. And I entered into filmmaking because I was influenced by his films.
When I thought of writing for Rajini sir, I told myself it will be a really cool character with a very happy-go-lucky attitude. We took such a character and placed him in a strong story, and I believe, as a combination, it has worked wonders.
In India, we always look at feature films as a progression over short films. But, abroad, people make a living making short films. The revenue might not be as much as in feature films, but the return on investment is good.
You need to be a good filmmaker to make a compelling two-minute film as well.
Short films are good, especially since independent films are making waves now, more than before.
When I was making short films for the TV show 'Naalaya Iyakunar,' I wasn't just competing but making films that I could potentially show at international festivals.
I met Rajini sir after 'Jigarthanda,' and he said he liked my film. He told me I could approach him whenever I had a good idea. I had never thought he would listen to scripts from new directors. After the meeting, I wondered, 'Should I take his words seriously or not? Should I write something?'
Cinema is a visual medium one has to communicate through visuals, and therefore, dialogues should be less.
'Mercury' is about a big company exploiting a small town. There is a place in Tamil Nadu called Kodaikanal. It had a thermometer factory, which would dump the mercury into the river. This affected a lot of people. This incident is the inspiration for this film.
Once I heard Karunakaran was part of 'Lingaa,' I told him to somehow arrange for me to meet Thalaivar. The 'Jigarthanda' team met him when he was shooting in Shimoga. It was a memorable meeting, as he opened the door for us, sat, and answered whatever we asked him. And, I got to meet him twice in two days!