Ask and you shall receive– but not on film sets. An actor Parvathy he said that he has often struggled with filmmakers who “don’t appreciate” the set questions, because most of them are already facing a lot of “stress” related to other departments. His experience with the latest film Thangalaan was not very good, at least in the first week, which he called “hell” for him and the director, Pa. Ranjith.
The actor was talking to Rajeev Masand at the Indian Film Festival in Melbourne, where he opened up about working with directors who don’t believe in communicating with their actors while acting, leaving him confused and worried.
“I have worked with directors who did not communicate with me and did not appreciate the questions set. It was a tough journey for both of us to get our equation set. It’s important to know that it’s not like they’re abandoning you, because I went through that feeling too. I had a breakdown after the shot, I feel like I can’t find him, maybe I don’t know how.
“And it’s a certain validation. I don’t need a director to tell me it was a good shot—as long as I can see it on their faces—but I’d like a connection where he tells me, ‘This is wrong,'” he added.
Parvathy added that she has also seen directors go through “a lot of pressure” when they can’t answer questions and often expect the actors to take care of their performance. “In some sets we take care of them, while in others they take care of us (the actors). “
Talking about her experience with Pa.Ranjith on Thangalaan, the actor praised his attention to detail and research as “impeccable,” but noted that they were not on the same page initially. “He was like, I can tell you about the brush they may have used or the soap they had, but then please talk to the writers and find out? That was difficult at first because it was discussed a week after we started shooting. I didn’t know what I was doing, that one week was hell for me. We started and then we were like, wait, we don’t get along? What’s going on? But later it became easier for me. When he gets what he wants, he doesn’t say anything and moves on to the next topic. I got the support I needed—in terms of the questions I had—from my co-star Vikram and everyone,” he added.