00:00No, they love Mohanlal sir and yeah, I am flattered that they love me also, but more
00:10than either of those, I think they love this franchise.
00:13I'm sure.
00:14Part one of this film was a very, very big hit in Kerala and later on actually, it went
00:21on to bring us a lot of appreciation from across the world, across the country when
00:25it streamed on platform and people watched it after its theatrical run and all that.
00:30So yeah, I think more than anything, the excitement is for the fact that this is a follow-up to
00:35one of Marayana cinema's biggest hits, which thankfully I was able to make.
00:45The pressure is all outside, you know, you can't let that pressure dictate how you make
00:49the film.
00:51And one thing that I'd like to bring to your notice, which I think most of the viewers
00:56in Kerala already know, is that this is not a part two that was made as an afterthought,
01:03as a follow-up to the success that part one had.
01:05Even when we were writing part one, we knew that it was going to be a three film series.
01:10We knew that the entire story can only be said in three parts.
01:14But of course, when we made part one, we didn't say that because we didn't know if part one
01:19was going to work, you know, unless it worked, a part two was not going to happen.
01:22So when part one released, the success celebration of part one, we did say that there will be
01:28two more films following it in the same franchise.
01:30So it was always written as a three film series and a three film franchise.
01:35And as a filmmaker, I thought it was very important for me to keep telling myself that
01:40regardless of how big part one has become, or what people expect, or all the pressure
01:45that there is, I need to focus on what I originally set out to make.
01:49There's a part two to this franchise that the writer and myself have envisioned.
01:54We can't let external forces dictate how we make that film.
01:58That's what I've done.
02:00And I hope people like what they see.
02:07There's a part three too, you know, so I can't tell you the entire story in part two,
02:12but there is a, yeah, I mean, you're going to get a lot more information about who and
02:16what these characters are in part two.
02:18And part two has its own plot.
02:20So this is actually, for people who have not seen part one, this will just be a standalone
02:27film and you will still enjoy it as a start to finish story.
02:31But yes, for people who have seen part one, I'm assuming that some of the throwbacks,
02:35some dialogues that the characters speak to each other will hold more resonance if you
02:41know what happened in part one.
02:42Even otherwise, we're very keen that this should still serve its purpose as a standalone
02:49film.
02:50And I think it does.
02:51You will get a lot more information about who these characters are, but obviously there
02:56is still a lot more to be told in part three as well.
03:04I mean, directing him is like the easiest thing to do.
03:07Like it's one of the, he's one of the easiest directors to direct.
03:10I mean, yeah, he's very, very gifted, obviously, but I don't just mean that.
03:14But the way he's as a professional really puts you at ease as a filmmaker.
03:18This is a third film I'm directing and all three films have Mr. Mohanlal, you know, as
03:23a lead in it.
03:25And it's been an absolute privilege because, you know, I'm an actor primarily and directing
03:31Mohanlal sir is a constant reminder to myself how I need to conduct myself as an actor.
03:36Because the way he surrenders to the material, the way he surrenders to the director's vision,
03:43it's just a joy.
03:45And he's just one of those actors that have got immense talent and he'll just bring that
03:50immense talent and completely surrender that to you and then ask you, now you tell me what
03:54you want me to do.
03:56What could be a bigger joy for any filmmaker?
03:58So, I mean, I just, in fact, Mohanlal sir is the least tense I've ever been directing.
04:05You know, I think the most I'm comfortable and cool and I'm not worried at all is when
04:12I'm directing him.
04:17And I'll be lying if I tell you no, but because I think I've done more than 100 films as
04:23an actor.
04:24So I think I have a fair idea of what makes an actor uncomfortable or what is an actor
04:29looking for from a director.
04:31I know what I look for from a director.
04:33I know what would make me uncomfortable on a set.
04:36I know there's a complex scene being shot.
04:38What would I be hoping for as an actor?
04:40And as a filmmaker, I keep reminding myself that, see, this is what you would have liked
04:44if you are in front of the camera for this particular scene, for this particular shot.
04:48This is what you would have been hoping for.
04:50So I think that way I have a slight advantage in terms of understanding actors.
04:56And when you see my films, you might not realize this because they're these big canvas,
05:03you know, especially with Lucifer 2, then Puran, you know, you have these big visuals.
05:08And I know after the teaser, maybe the whole conversation is about the technicalities of
05:12it and all that.
05:12But I have, I'm always a believer that direction more than anything else is to get the performances
05:21right.
05:21And what I enjoy the most is shooting close ups.
05:26There's this classic saying that Ramagopal Varma sir also told me the same that there
05:30is no bigger visual in cinema than an actor performing in a tight close up.
05:34So the biggest joy as a director for me is to be directing great performance.
05:39And I've been privileged that all three films have had fantastic performers to work with.
05:48The budget of a film is not determined by the director.
05:52It is not determined by the producer.
05:54It is not determined by the star.
05:56The budget is determined by what is written on paper.
05:58So when you have a script written, and as a director and a producer, you sit across
06:04the table and you sort of conceive how that is going to be as a film, you realize it's
06:10going to take this much money.
06:12You either spend that kind of money and do what's on paper, or you decide, listen, this
06:16is not, this is way beyond what we can do.
06:18We will not do this.
06:19So as far as Em Guran is concerned, the first narration, in fact, I flew to Dubai and Lal
06:25sir also came to Dubai.
06:26And I gave a long, like a six hour narration with every particular scene and how I'm going
06:32to shoot each scene.
06:33And at the end of it, we knew what this film is going to entail, how much this is going
06:38to cost, what kind of a scale are we talking about.
06:40And all of us were on the same page.
06:42We knew that this is what it's going to take, and we're going to do it.
06:45And once that decision is made, then there is absolutely nothing to be worried about,
06:50because you've decided that you're going to do it.
06:51The worry comes in when you've sort of decided you're going to do a film in a particular
06:56way, and then you lose track.
06:57You lose track, and you realize that your initial assumptions slash plans were all
07:02off mark.
07:03That luckily has not happened to any of my films, because I am a stickler for process.
07:10People who work with me will tell you the same thing, that if I go into a location,
07:15I know that I have 11 shots to take, and I take those 11 shots.
07:19And I do not take a 12th shot, because I don't know what the 12th shot is.
07:23You know, all three of my films, my first cut will be three hours and one minute, three
07:31hours and two minutes.
07:32And my final cut will be two hours and 59 minutes.
07:34That's it.
07:35That's all the extra footage that I would have shot.
07:38So that way, I'm a stickler for process.
07:40And once you're such a stickler for process, you don't lose track of what you're doing.
07:43There was no worry while making this film.
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