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Leaving a mark Karu Palaniappan with Sneha on the sets of Pirivom Sandhipom

When he set about making his debut, Parthiban Kanavu, he was sure he wanted to tell a story in the commercial format, but treat it differently. And, now, Pirivom Sandhipom, his Pongal release is raking in the accolades, and moolah. Many questioned his wisdom of releasing a ‘soft’ film in the midst of biggies. But, he persisted, insisting that a family-oriented film will work. And, the collections are proving him right.

The story of a girl who longs for, and gets married into a joint family, only to be plagued by loneliness in Attakatti, a faraway hill station, has touched a chord with most. Especially, at a time when family values are declining.

Ask him how he dares to be different, and Palaniappan says his producers have been very supportive. “I focus on approach and treatment, and I believe a story should engross the viewer (I cannot narrate a story beyond 20 minutes to anyone),” he adds. That’s how his first film came about. “Everyone was doing films with two heroes. I wondered why not try something with two heroines.”

As for Pirivom…, he worked backwards while coming up with the story. “Years before, when in college, I watched K. Balachander sir’s serial, Rayil Sneham which was set in Attakatti. I wondered how it would be if a girl had to live all alone there. Then, I wove in the contrasting bit about the joint family,” he explains.

And, he seems to bring out the best in Sneha, who people repeatedly cast as a sweet-faced girl till she did the dual roles of Sathya and Janani in Parthiban Kanavu. “Sneha is a director’s delight. She understands what you want, and can improvise beautifully. She gives her 110 per cent to any role. Even in my first film, I knew she could pull off the subtle difference in the roles without the need for any cosmetic changes. I give her 10/10 for performance.”

As for directing Cheran, a director himself, Palaniappan says he was inspired by Cheran (Cheran has directed fellow director Parthiban in Bharathi Kannamma).

Palaniappan is also looking forward to the release of the much-delayed Sathurangam, which won him the State award for best story. He rates this Srikanth-Sonia Agarwal starrer as one of his better works, and has a lot of hope for it.

How easy is it to tread a different path in Tamil cinema? Can one go the whole hog, without intrusions such as songs? “We can’t do away with songs. From dozens of songs 60 years ago, we have brought it down to four or five now. We have to understand that this is a music-related business.”

Any new movies in the pipeline? “I am working on a story. I would like to do all kinds of films. Only then will shooting be interesting,” he states.

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