For the first time I have
combined action and humor
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How
different would Payanam be from your earlier
films?
We
wanted to do a different film besides the
emotions and sentiments that you always associate
my earlier works with. Payanam will be in
the genre of a thriller encompassing human
elements like sentiments, humor and so on.
For the first time I have combined action
and humor and I think it has come out well.
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Tell
us something about the cast of Payanam
This
film is simultaneously made in Tamil and Telugu
with artists belonging to both Tamil and Telugu
film industries like Nagarjuna, Prakash Raj,
Sana Khan, Rishi, M S Bhaskar, Thalaivasal
Vijay, Kumaravel, Brahmanandam etc. We have
a huge star cast in Payanam. |

We have a huge star cast in
Payanam
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There is no hero in Payanam
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What
is Payanam all about?
There
is no specific hero in Payanam and I would
like to clearly state that there are no songs
in the film too. Payanam is about flight travel.
A flight is about to be high jacked and the
ensuing events that go on for five days is
what Payanam all about. Nagarjuna plays a
commando. Prakash Raj plays the role of a
bureaucrat who negotiates with the terrorists.
Like this, there are many characters in the
film.
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What about RR in Payanam?
Although there are no songs in Payanam, there is definitely
background music which is done by Praveen Mani. We
did not have songs in the film because there are no
situations in the film which warranted songs. Hence
we decided to do away with songs in Payanam.
Madan Karky’s
contribution?
We have done one song for the promo purposes which
has been written by Madan Karky based on the concept
of ‘Payanam’. Besides that, there are
no songs in Payanam.
On cinematographer
Guhan
After Mozhi, I have teamed up with cinematographer
Guhan. We have shot Payanam in digital format in Red
camera which was an unusual experience.
What
is the USP of Payanam?
Production
values are very good in Payanam with impressive
sets as key player. We have recreated Tirupathi
airport in Hyderabad, the tarmac, flight’s
interiors etc. It would be very realistic
and would not appear as sets at all. We have
researched in depth and have reconstructed
an original flight in all its real dimensions.
This will be the highlight of the film. |

We have recreated Tirupathi in
Hyderabad
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Art director’s contribution
Kadhir who has worked with me in Mozhi and Abhiyum
Naanum is responsible for the art department in Payanam.
He was very excited when I told him the concept. From
then on whenever we travelled in planes, we always
used to look at it like someone seeing planes for
the first time to observe the minute details of the
plane. We have researched thoroughly and have executed
it perfectly.
Producer’s role
This is my fourth film with Duet movies. In Tamil,
we have made this film under the banner ‘Silent
Movies’ with Prakash Raj as the producer and
Dil Raju as the producer in Telugu.
What about Mozhi in Hindi?
Yes, the talks are still on. I am ready and they are
in the process of readying the star cast.
Payanam being a suspense thriller, will it have your
trademark humor?
Like what I said earlier, I have tried something new
in Payanam. There are no songs in the film. If the
film travels only on thriller component, it may appear
dry. Hence I have laced thriller with humor that would
gel with the situation and characters without disrupting
the mood.
What do you think about the trend in Tamil cinema?
The trend is healthy. When a good story can be narrated
in an entertaining manner for two hours, the audiences
are bound to accept it. This trend has been there
always. New attempts can happen which will set a trend.
There is no need for everybody to follow one trend.
It would be healthy if people try things which they
are comfortable with.
When is Payanam’s release?
We are planning for a February release. We have almost
completed post-production. We needed time as we were
doing in two languages and also for computer generated
work.