A
small introduction?
HI, this is Sanjay. I was
born and brought up in Chennai. I completed
hotel management from the Institute of Hotel
Management from Hyderabad and then went on to
work as a chef in a 5 star hotel in Mumbai.
But, my passion has always been cinema and so
I enrolled myself in a five month course at
the Kishore Namith Kapoor Film Institute in
Mumbai. After that I came down to Chennai and
started scouting for opportunities. Last year,
I finally landed my first film, Mundhinam Partheney
and today I am being introduced to you as the
hero of the film. |
" My passion has always
been cinema "
|
About the experience
of Mundhinam Partheney
It was a great experience indeed! This is my first film
and it is being produced by a reputed banner Seventh
Channel Communications. Director, Magilzh Thirumeni
has been an assistant with Gautham Menon and the camera
was handled by Vincent, a former assistant of P.C. Sreeram
while Thaman Sai has composed the music. Altogether,
it felt great to be a part of such a team. Before we
started shooting, the entire cast of the film had an
intense one month session along with the director where
he told us exactly what was expected in front of the
camera. So, when the actual shooting began, we were
well prepared and faced very few problems. And, when
the songs were recorded and ready, the producer felt
that they deserved to be shot really well and so we
went to exotic locations like London and Venice to shoot
them. Overall, a memorable experience!
About your first
shot...
It was a montage shot and I don’t remember feeling
very tense during the filming process. The fact that
we had already worked things out during the month long
workshop helped a lot. There are other new artistes
in the film who appear as my friends. They used to come
and tell me about being nervous on the sets. But, I
was not; maybe because of the acting course that I had
taken in Mumbai.
| "
All three heroines were
different kinds "
|
Three
heroines in your very first film!
Yes, that did raise a few eyebrows. Having one
heroine is good enough, but three of them in my
very first film, it was great! But, the three
characters don’t appear together in the
film, but all of us used to be present on the
sets at the same time. It felt really good, because
all three heroines were different kinds of individuals.
Even in the film, their characters have their
own individuality and terms. It was only towards
the end of the shooting process that I started
realizing why the director had chosen them for
the roles. Their |
characters in real life more or less matched what they
were playing on screen. Not only them but most of us
have appeared more or less as our real selves on screen.
The three heroines Ekta, Lizna and Pooja are from Bombay.
Initially, the director wanted to cast Tamil girls in
the lead. But, even after a lot of scouting, we were
not able to find the right kind of person and so went
to Mumbai. And, to their credit, I have to say that
all three of them have done their job quite well.
About the duets
in the film
You really cannot call them duets. They are very much
part of the narration and are not dance sequences that
jump at you out of nowhere. I have got songs with all
three heroines.
Reprimands from
the director?
You could say that not a single day has passed without
getting a bit of stick from the director. But, he is
not a person who scolds you a lot. He just keeps reminding
of you what is required. More importantly, he does not
push one a lot. He gives a lot of freedom at first to
express oneself and then tells you about the corrections
to be made in what has already been done. And, he is
also quite good at encouraging the artistes if they
do a good job. During the shooting, if any one of us
delivered a very good shot he immediately used to grant
us a ‘5 star’ rating. I think Ekta is the
one to have got the most of them, I might come second.
Magilzh Thirumeni is a book as far as I am concerned
about acting. Even after completing a course in acting,
I think one is really a bit raw, not a finished product.
He taught me a lot about acting, especially things that
he has learnt from his years of experience as an assistant
director with people like Gautham Menon. It is really
a boon for me to be selected as hero in his film. Also,
for me to get a chance with a banner like Seventh Channel
in my very first film is one of the greatest things
to happen. I don’t think I could have asked for
a bigger or better platform to start off my career.
For newcomers like me, who do not have any godfathers
within the industry, this is the best that can happen.
Any unforgettable
experience?
They were quite a few of them I guess. Maybe the time
we spent in London and Venice shooting for the songs.
All of us cherished each and every moment in those places.
They will count as unforgettable experiences.
Difficult shots?
Not many, mainly because I think the film demands very
natural performance. The film in itself is a breezy
romantic story and does not really require one to put
in a huge amount of effort. We just had to be our own
selves on screen. So, I don’t think there were
any shots that really made me work very hard.
The
heroine with whom working was easy for you!
Basically, I am a very shy
person. So, initially I was just friends with
the three of them. But, as the days went by
all of us got close and shared a very good rapport.
Out of the three, I think I was most comfortable
with Ekta. That might be because the two of
us were shooting abroad in London and Venice
for two songs. That way, I have spent most number
of days with Ekta and so feel more comfortable
with her. |
" I was most comfortable
with Ekta "
|
Your future
projects?
There are a couple of them, but nothing is finalized
as yet. I think they too will want to wait for the
release of my first film before they decide upon me.
So, I am hoping for the best, God’s grace.
About the music...
Ever since the audio of the film was released, I have
been getting a lot of calls from many people saying
that they find the songs really amazing. It certainly
has been liked by everyone. This I think is Thaman’s
first album to come out in Tamil after Eeram and I
feel that Mundhinam Partheney will take him one step
above. This is because, Eeram was a thriller, this
is a breezy and romantic movie and music is the backbone
of this venture. I think music to this movie is as
important as the practical examinations in 12th standard.
I would like to thank Thaman for giving such wonderful
songs to Mundhinam Partheney.
Any moving shots!
Yes, quite a few. There were many instances in the
film where I felt that I have come across such occasions
in my real life. This may be because this is a very
simple and natural love story, something that happens
in everyone’s life. I cannot tell you where
exactly I got these feelings because I would then
be revealing too much about the film and the way it
ends. But, there was one scene in the railway station
where the heroine is leaving. The director told me
that the feeling for this shot has to be expressed
with depth in my eyes. The moment after I gave this
shot I started crying uncontrollably. I just couldn’t
control my emotions. Everyone on the set got really
disturbed seeing me cry this way and wondered what
went wrong. It took some time for me to calm down
and get on with shooting.
Have you dubbed
for the film?
No, the director wanted a base voice for the character.
He felt that it would suit the character better. When
he told me this, I accepted it immediately because
I knew that whatever he felt would be the best for
the film.
Your source of
support
My family has been my biggest source of support. I
have been trying to get into the film industry for
around six years now and it wouldn’t have been
possible to keep going without the support from my
parents. Another big source of support has been my
brother. He is also into cinema, an assistant director
and so he knows what it takes to get into the field.
He always kept telling me that if there was talent,
there will definitely be a way. And, there are many
examples of successful people in the industry who
have broken rules and norms to become huge names,
they have inspired me.
Why do you think
Mundhinam Partheney should be watched?
I believe that the most important element in any film
is the story and I feel that the director has done
a very good job with the story and screenplay. The
entire film has come out well and we believe that
the audiences will like what they see. If there is
any reason you should watch Mundhinam Partheney, it
should be for the story.
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