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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Sunday, Mar 16, 2008 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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Tamil Nadu
“A lot of my work is mundane, but it is the creative side that drives me” 
Latha Menon. 
A quick scan of the small office room conjures an image of a vividly creative personality. The image is reinforced as its owner, advertisement filmmaker and director of IRIS Films Latha Menon, walks in. The openness with which she speaks, to Krishna Velupillai, makes the room seem suddenly larger. “You never know where your subliminal influence comes from,” she says, starting to hum an old CloseUp jingle. “Come a little closer baby, smile for me...” she laughs. “My mom was a film buff. I would accompany her to the movies, so I was exposed to films very early in my life,” Ms. Latha Menon says. But her introduction to advertising came while she was in school when her brother got into the industry. Ms. Menon has never looked back since—except for a brief dabble in psychology which she quickly decided was not for her. Various ad agency jobs and a marriage to fellow ad and filmmaker Rajeev Menon later, Latha started IRIS Films. “It was 1996, and ad films had begun to create an impact,” she says. She now runs a successful business of her own. “A lot of my work is quite mundane, but it is the creative side that drives me.” Recently Ms. Menon’s Aircel advertisement featuring actor Surya in several roles generated much interest. “I remember we discussed the project like a film script. It’s all about trying to understand the product and conveying it to the audience. This ad is about copying a tune. You like it, you copy it, that’s the concept.” She is passionate about her profession. “The best part is I get to meet such a diverse people. From a weaver to a mridangam player to a child, I have to learn to relate. Also one gets to go to different places, run across streams and do other adventurous things. Sometimes you feel invincible. All that matters at times like that is that one shot.” Latha becomes a little hesitant when questioned about the use of women in advertisements. “It’s mainly to satisfy the glamour quotient. The problem is that if you do not do it, the client will find someone else who will. It’s so competitive. But I think some of the responsibility is also with us women to say no.” Besides ad films, Latha has several documentary films to her credit. She has also assisted director Mani Ratnam in some of his projects. It is fitting that Latha plans to enter cinema soon. “I love films, all forms, and everything about them. A feature film will involve extending myself. This will be my challenge.”
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