Director C Prem Kumar, who has completed shooting his upcoming film starring Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil, is open to exploring new creative collaborations. The 96 director tells NDTV that he plans to direct stories written by other writers after completing his fifth film. This collaborative approach is common in Malayalam cinema, and the Jaanu director believes there is merit in it.
The Meiyazhagan director tells NDTV, “I’m happy writing my own scripts. At the same time, I have already started working with another writer, who is writing two scripts for me. I am also jointly writing a few scripts with some other writers. After my fifth directorial, I’ll be taking up these projects,” he says.
Asked if anyone has approached him to direct one of his scripts, Prem Kumar says that has not happened yet. “Maybe if someone asks for my script and I don’t want to direct it, then that will happen,” he adds.
Meanwhile, his upcoming film with Fahadh Faasil has completed shooting and is currently in post-production. The director, who is in Kochi for the film’s dubbing, says it could be released towards the end of this year or in the first quarter of next year, depending on various factors.
“The shooting is done. We are in post-production. We are probably expecting an end-of-the-year or next year’s first-quarter release. I can’t give a proper date yet,” he says.
Prem Kumar adds that he prefers to focus on one project at a time rather than immediately moving on to his next film.
Before making his directorial debut with 96 in 2018, Prem Kumar worked as a cinematographer on eight films. Reflecting on his journey in cinema, he says every role comes with its own challenges.
“It’s more difficult to be an assistant than a chief technician because you have to think for someone else while balancing your own sensibilities with those of the person you work for. You cannot simply be someone else’s cinematographer; you have to bring your own sensibilities to the work as well. As a cinematographer, you have to develop a visual language that serves the director and the story.”
“Writing is a different ball game altogether. You have to unlearn what you know and focus on emotions and structure. Once the writing is done, the writer has to be killed. You have to eliminate the writer and think like a director. They are two different roles.”
“As a director, you have to bring all the technicians together, make them understand your vision and converge their efforts towards the script. Nothing is easy, but everything is exciting,” says Prem Kumar, signing off by reiterating his love for writing.
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