All good directors have two skills in common — the ability to come up with a gripping story, and transferring their ideas to screen in exactly the same fashion they conceived them.
Director Nelson, who is making his debut in Tamil cinema, claims he has managed both in Simbu’s next film Vettai Mannan.... “Vettai Mannan is a gangster flick told in a particular mood. The good thing is that until now we’ve been able to make the film in precisely the manner we wanted it,” says Nelson. “Simbu plays a person who appears to be a villain, but ends up being the hero. It’s a fantasy film; not a regular gangster flick. A gangster’s life is at stake always and he’s under pressure. My film deals with a completely different aspect of his life,” says Nelson, a Visual Communication graduate, who was into television for almost six years before deciding to make a film.
“Simbu was my classmate in Santhome High School. We weren’t even close then. It was only later when we bumped into each other at a show that we got to know each other better. I worked with him in Vallavan after college, and then I got into television. However, I always had this idea to make a film. Simbu had liked the idea even then, and had suggested that I work on it. When I finally finished the script, he was impressed. It is a big-budget film, and Nic Arts Chakravarthy has boldly backed the plan.”
The film, almost 50 per cent of which is over, is expected to release this August and will feature three heroines. “Deeksha Seth and Hansika Motwani have been finalised. We are on the lookout for a third person for a cameo. It may be played by a foreigner. Deeksha plays a girl next-door while Hansika plays a gangster,” says Nelson.
The youngster seems to have adapted himself to his new work environment well. Get him to compare the working styles of both industries, and he signs off saying: “While working for television, deadlines were sacrosanct. No matter what happened, the show had to go on and therefore, there was little time or scope to experiment. In films, the focus is on the output and not so much on time. You will have to beat your dreams into reality and not rest until you get what you intended to.”
Fight sequence in Brazil?
“We intend to shoot a fight sequence abroad. As of now, we are looking at shooting it in Brazil. We are exploring the feasibility of the whole process. We also intend to hire Hollywood technicians and equipment for this sequence,” Nelson says. They may also consider using Capoeira, the ancient martial art form of Brazil, in the sequence.
