Of all the movies that have released in recent times, Oththa Seruppu Size 7 is a remarkably clever and completely different attempt in film making. The movie is almost totally handled by a single person Parthiban, who dons some of the main roles - for he plays the sole actor in the movie in addition to being the writer, director, and producer. Now that the film is competing at the IFFI 2019 at Goa, here's what the Actor/Director has to say.
Oththa Seruppu is competing in the Indian Panaroma Section at the 50th Edition of International Film Festival of India at Goa, and Parthiban attended a media briefing regarding the same. He expressed his happiness at the same fand mentioned that he was prepared for the challenge.
Parthiban said he felt he was the best and the only bet to have played the solitary character. "There is no question of burden, donning the director's hat too, as I am first an actor and direction just happened in the long journey." Talking about his donning the role of a producer, too, Parthiban mentioned that the movie would have lost its sheen if he had concentrated on it yielding monetary benefits than on establishing the essence of what he wanted to convey.
Parthiban remarked thus about the solo character theme: "A solo-act movie making up for a good 10 characters was no joke. It was tougher than I had envisioned. Whether the character Masilamani committed the offense or not boiled down to the mind-game. To keep the audience engaged, the character had to be convincing, whether he actually did it or not. The overall effect would have been lost on a documentary. Honestly, I did not eye the festival angle. But then, the satisfaction emanates only when I get to interact with a cross-section of the audience all over the globe."
Parthiban admitted that the movie should have materialized quite before Kadhai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam, which was another highly praised film which collected many awards. But there is no comparison between the two, according to the multifaceted artist. "For me, no two movies should be on similar lines. Give what the audience 'do not expect' and half the battle is won. Each movie of mine has a set unhidden agendas which I like to keep under wraps", he remarked.
On his upcoming projects, Parthiban exclaimed thus: "There are a few scripts lined up for the big stars. It is true that I have not directed the top five heroes in the industry. They are keen to hear the script first but my take is for them to come on board before I spell out the storyline."
[International Film Festival of India - Goa - Event covered by Behindwoods' accredited Senior freelance writer KV Vasudevan]