"KABALI IS LIKE ANOTHER CANNES AWARD TO ME"

I did my schooling in Boston Matriculation in Nandanam. Then, it was BCA followed by MBA in Human Resource Management. I was good at drawing and had a great interest to make it big in the creative field. As a result, I did my second masters degree (M.Sc.Visual Communication) in Loyola College. Currently I am living in Bangalore, but I am a typical Chennai guy.

Well, after finishing my Masters in Loyola, I started working in Advertising Agencies as Designer and Art Director. I got many awards for my works in the advertising field, one being the prestigious Cannes Award in 2010.  With regard to films, one fine day, through one of my friend Moses (Ranjith's associate director), I happened to meet director Pa. Ranjith and producer C.V.Kumar, who wanted me to design the posters for their film Attakathi. I was confused if I could make it, but both of them gave me the confidence and freedom to do it. I am mostly into advertising and not a mainstream designer, but when my good friends ask me to work for their film projects, I don’t say no. That is why I have been doing C.V.Kumar's films- Soodhu Kavvum, Mundasupatti, Thegidi, Indru Netru Naalai and Ranjith's Attakathi, Kabali. We three, share a good rapport and comfort level.

More than anything, it was a Thalaivar movie. So that in itself was a big difference. It is once in a lifetime opportunity to work in a film like this. I wanted to live it to the fullest. So I took more time to complete the posters, compared to my previous films. Thanks to Ranjith for giving me that freedom.

Not exactly. It was not just me. The costume designer, photographer and others contribution too worked in the favor of the poster. I just had to decide which colors will suit the overall tone of the movie. When Rajini sir is in the frame, it is magical. So, the success of the posters is a team effort.

Ranjith and I felt that the font design should be supportive of the film's story. Rajini sir's face in the poster was intentional for the fact that it depicts the central theme of the film. All the posters are theme based.

No. I designed 10 posters, out of which, only 4 are out. 6 more posters are yet to come. I guess the production team is saving it for the best. You will be seeing more posters in the upcoming days.

Absolutely no. He has been the same good-hearted person, who understands me well, and who is a good friend of mine. Not just me, in general also, he is a great human being and a gentleman. I have grown a huge respect for him in these days.

It was a great moment indeed. I am a huge fan of Rajini sir. I have grown watching his films. So, when a fan meets his favorite star, that moment is priceless. I was on cloud nine. The poster photoshoot happened for two days, and those are highly memorable days of my life. I told Rajini sir what is needed from him and he gave me much more than what I had expected. I was happy, both as a fan and a designer.

It is like another Cannes award to me. When I started my second innings after my accident, Kabali came as a shocker. It is a pathbreaking film in my career. Kabali is full of positivity for me.