Interview: Director Sam Anton on 'Ennaku Innoru Peru Irukku' and working with GV Prakash

During Pongal 2015, as audiences thronged to cinemas to watch Shankar’s highly anticipated I, starring Vikram and Amy Jackson, besides Vishal-starrer Aambala; composer G.V Prakash Kumar’s debut film Darling, a remake of Telugu horror comedy, Prema Katha Chithram managed to catch the attention of movie buffs. By the end of the first week, Darling was adjudged a hit, and young director Sam Anton became the talk of the town.

A year and a half later, the hot-shot director is back with his second outing, Ennaku Innoru Peru Irukku, and the project marks his second collaboration with Prakash in a row. “I had pitched the line of this story to GV while working on Darling. He liked it and we decided we have to do it. However, by the time Darling released and became successful, I was committed to a few banners. We couldn’t immediately start this project. In October 2015, I met GV again and narrated the entire script which he really liked and we decided to work on the film,” Sam told The News Minute in an interview.

The project went on the floors in Dec 2015 and it’s been a hectic seven months for Sam, who hopes all the hard work pays off. The film, which is slated to hit the screens this Friday, features Prakash in the role of a gangster.

“This is a story of the rise of a gangster which has been treated with high-octane humour. It’s only in the last half hour; audiences will get to witness something serious,” he said, adding that the humour in the film shouldn’t be confused with dark comedy. “Imagine a gangster film made along the lines of Sundar C’s Ullathai Allitha, but technically better shot. The film is filled with wacky characters that will ensure audiences are never short of entertainment. While the comedy portion is very bright and easily relatable, we’ve used mostly dark tone to shoot, because nearly 70 percent of the film was shot at night and all the credit goes to my cinematographer Krishnan Vasanth." 

Sam feels that even though Prakash has done just one film since Darling, he’s changed a great deal as an actor. “Darling was not a hero-centric project. The spotlight was on Nikki Galrani, who played the ghost. This film, however, rests completely on Prakash’s shoulders and he’s done a fabulous job in terms of performance. He hardly danced in the first two films.

However, this time he has grooved to three out of the four songs. Despite the presence of nearly ten characters, he has shined throughout the film,” explained Sam.  When asked if Prakash’s character is an extension of his role from Trisha Illana Nayanthara, he said, “We’ve retained the innocence and quirkiness of his character from the last film because the audiences loved it. Nevertheless, you’ll still find the character in this film refreshing and unique.”

Lyca Productions, which is currently bankrolling Rajinikanth-starrer 2.o, are the producers of Ennaku Innoru Peru Irukku, and Sam says it was GV, who was instrumental in bringing the company on board. “To work with such a big banner in my second film meant a lot. More than the pressure, I felt more responsible thanks to the high expectations. Unlike other producers, nobody from Lyca team wanted to watch the rushes of the film at regular intervals. It was only after the film got certified, did they even express interest in watching, which proved the trust they had in me and my product,” said Sam, who would love to work with Prakash again. “I don’t mind making it three films in a row with him. As much as I want to work with him, I don’t know when it will happen because he’s busy with nearly half a dozen projects. I’m currently working on the script of my next project.”