It's Prashanth Neel's World, We're Just Living In It

From KGF To Salaar, Exploring The Promise And Power In Prashanth Neel’s Epics

In Prashanth Neel’s cinematic universe, the hero’s quest to fulfil a promise is turned into a visceral experience, where the body count is a trophy and rewriting the rules is the ultimate aim.

"THE WOODS ARE lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. " Robert Frost might have written the words above in a different context, but their essence resonates and encapsulates the heroes in Prashanth Neel’s films. Both Raja Krishnappa Bairya aka ‘Rocky Bhai’ in KGF, and Devaratha Raisaar aka Deva in Salaar are products of the promises they must fulfil. Quite rarely have filmmakers in recent years elicited the effect words have on people as effectively as Prashanth Neel has done through his films. And, in doing so, the filmmaker has charted a different path for himself, setting him apart from his contemporaries.

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A closer look at how Neel mounts the journeys of his protagonists through the lens of words will reveal how the respective journeys of both Rocky in KGF and Deva in Salaar are defined by the promises they make to people close to them. While Rocky sets off to fulfil his mother’s dying wish that ‘when he dies, he’ll be the richest man around’, Deva’s life hinges on the promise he makes to his childhood friend Varadha that he’ll either be ‘the bait or the shark’ for his friend. Both the characters are aged around 8-9 when they make these promises, and even though their lives are completely different, Prashanth Neel uses similar tropes to trace their lives as time unfolds.

— HEMANTH KUMAR CR

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Chidambaram: 'Cinema Is Not My Politics, Cinema Is Cinema'

Ahead of the release of his second film Manjummel Boys, writer-director Chidambaram reflects on his debut success Jan. E. Man, his creative process, and bringing out the best from his cast.

THOUGH bundled as a comedy, Jan. E. Man (2021) unpacked as a composite narrative, delving into the complexities of the human mind. The characters were well-defined — be it Joymon (Basil Joseph) who throws money around to cover his sense of isolation, or Monichan (Balu Varghese) who takes to the bottle to hide his depression. We are also privy to their subtle caste and class biases. For Chidambaram, this was an impressive debut, as he seamlessly pulled off a comedy without diluting its reflective subtexts. His self-scripted upcoming film, Manjummel Boys, is based on a real-life story, and is packed with a bunch of young talents, headlined by Soubin Shahir. It’s also one of the most awaited films of this year. The very unassuming director spoke with OTTplay about his sophomore outing.

— NEELIMA MENON

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