Shankar is probably the only director who can do sci-fi films

With Akshay Kumar announcing the release of his Bollywood film Padman on January 26, there is a lot of buzz about the release date of his Tamil film, 2.0. The film marks the return of Superstar Rajinikanth as scientist Dr Vaseegaran and will see the two big stars from Kollywood and Bollywood vying for attention. The film’s concept artist Vishwanath Sundaram just can’t stop gushing about his experience of working in the film.We caught up with the Coimbatore-based artist, who talks about his experience of working in 2.0, Sangamithra and life after Baahubali. Excerpts from the conversation….
How was the experience working with Superstar Rajinikanth in 2.0?
I got the opportunity to work in 2.0 when I was working on Baahubali: The Beginning. I worked for 2.0 from Hyderabad because I wanted to be back for Baahubali 2 on time. If I had worked full time on the sets of 2.0, I would have got an opportunity to work with Rajini Sir. I only met the film’s director and VFX supervisor.
Working with Shankar must have been a great experience…
Yes… He is someone who always wants to show something unique and set high standards. He won’t get convinced easily. You have to keep giving him several choices and he will analyse them minutely. But, once he decides something, he will make sure that happens, however challenging it might be. I was awestruck with the way he narrated a small scene from the film. He completely forgot himself and brought the scene in front of my eyes.
You designed the characters of Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar…
When I was approached for the film, Aamir Khan was supposed to do Rajini Sir’s role and Arnold Schwarzenegger was supposed to do Akshay Kumar’s. I had designed the characters for them. When I realised that Shankar sir was meeting Schwarzenegger with my design, I was overwhelmed. I gave my best. Schwarzenegger was quite impressed with the design of the character. Shankar sir asked Srinivas Mohan (VFX
supervisor) to thank me for the design. Then things changed, Akshay Kumar played the role, for which I modified the character to suit him.
How did you adapt yourself to work on a sci-fi film?
We hardly do sci-fi films in India. Shankar is probably the only director who has explored this genre. So, the only reference we have is Hollywood. It’s hard to understand films like Blade Runner, Artificial Intelligence, when we watch it for the first time. The story and the concept are of such high standards. The challenge is how we provide an Indian touch to the foreign concept and give it to the audience. They should understand the film, but at the same time, it should be extraordinary. We should find a way to bring the commercial aspects as well in the film.
On the other hand, you are also working in a period film like Sangamithra. Did the Baahubali experience help you?
Sanghamithra has a number of war sequences in water and the poster itself gives that away. We haven’t quite explored that area in India. It throws a different challenge altogether. To design the water particles and bring the dynamics was a real challenge. Sangamithra is a fantasy film and the period in which it is set is much after Baahubali. I was free to give ideas for the film.
What are the challenges of working in a period film?
We have to make sure we stick to the logic of that period. We have to go back to that period and design, because it’s a period without electricity, machines and mirrors. We have to give the audience something new amid all these restrictions and that’s a challenge. The scale of the film also matters. For instance, if you want to show the army count of Emperor Rajendra Chola, we need to think about how to show a mass scene involving the whole army in a single frame.
Baahubali has set a benchmark for the Indian film industry and you as well...
Definitely! The benchmark of audience is going up and so, it raises the standard of the director and technicians. It always pushes you to do better than that. If at all there is Baahubali 3, the standard of that film will be above Baahubali 1 and 2.
How did you develop interest in concept art and visual development?
When I was in college, one of my seniors asked me to learn digital art, as animation and graphic design were picking up at that time. He said I was creative and if I learned digital art it would be useful in future. I started watching many 3D films after that. When people started talking about pre-production and how concept art plays a major role in designing the characters and that concept art gives the foundation for the whole film, I was fascinated by the idea. My father was a huge pillar of support.
What was your first film?
I started my career in animation and cartoon industry. My first film was Vidyum Munn and later, I worked in a film called Shuddhi, which is yet to release. Then films like Lingaa, Kick and others followed.
How feasible is concept art as a profession? Can youngsters take it up as a career?
Many people have been enquiring with me about this on social media and on other platforms. It’s good to see so many people wanting to be a technician. In future, we wouldn’t have to go abroad for technical work. The problem is the basics of upcoming concept artists are not strong. They learn all the new techniques, but they fail to learn the fundamentals well. Their focus should only be on the basics while studying the art.
What do you think about Coimbatore’s contribution to cinema?
Talent is in abundance, but the number of proper academies to guide them is few less. There should be many seminars. Senior technicians and artists from the industry should conduct workshops to unearth talent. They are getting deviated without proper guidance.
The appreciation and recognition for technicians have gone up in the last few years…
True! The industry, media and the audience are noticing technicians these days. They see which cinematographer, stunt choreographer, art director has worked in the film before watching it, which is a great improvement from the past. When the audience starts looking into art in detail, it grows and provides extraordinary results.