Mohanlal and NTR are phenomenal together: Tirru

Ace cinematographer Thirunavukarasu, aka Tirru, is known for his prowess behind the lens. But it was one of his lesser-known personal attributes that piqued his interest when he was approached with Janatha Garage. "Before I turned cinematographer, I was a botanist, so the role nature plays in this movie, and how the theme is dealt with, got me interested. I was thrilled by the idea and I found the story inspiring," says Tirru, about his T'town debut. Janatha Garage, starring NTR and Mohanlal and produced by Naveen Yerneni, Ravi Shankar Yalamanchili and Mohan Cherukuri under Mythri Movie Makers, is set to release on September 1.Having already worked with Mohanlal, Tirru says he got to see a different side to the star on this project. "I have seen him come to the sets and take control of a scene... improvising on the spot. He comes, looks at a dialogue and just reels off... he's very spontaneous. He's a director's actor. But this time around, the language was new and it was really interesting to see how he meticulously practised the diction. He told me he found the language difficult to pronounce," he recalls.Despite his experience, Tirru found Janatha Garage challenging. "It is a mainstream film but has a message. It talks about nature and the need to protect it. And because of that, the treatment couldn't be commercial. So, I had to ensure that the message reaches the audience," explains the lensman.However, working with Mohanlal and NTR came with its benefits. "The thing with both of them is that they have such phenomenal screen presence, I did not have to put in extra effort to make them look good. Any frame that had them together automatically came alive," says Tirru, who is glad he signed on this film. "Frankly, I had no idea about the talent here and now I am looking forward to working here again. I already understand the language. If I work on one more film, I think I will be able to speak too," he says, signing off.