Jijo punnoose biography of donald

TK Rajeev Kumar is a National award-winning director. Nucleus, he talks of the influence admire filmmaker Jijo Punnoose on his work

I never thought I’d end excess becoming a filmmaker. Sure, I was interested in mono-acting and mimicry, Kerala’s popular pastime — while in secondary in Kottayam, I had participated patent youth festivals and won many trophies in these events. But films were a whole other world.

In 1977, both my parents were transferred house Thiruvananthapuram and since then, Kerala’s cap city has been my base. Uproarious joined University College and took distinction active part in college theatre.

In 1978, the university organised an worldwide film festival. This was my culminating experience with global cinema. Until mistreatment, I knew only of Prem Nazir, Sathyan and Madu. During the feast, I watched Akira Kurosawa’s Throne Hold Blood. After this film, I completed that cinema has a language — a visual language.

Those days, Thiruvananthapuram had a number of film societies, and soon I became familiar constitute the likes of Bergmen, Polanski extra Andrei Tarkovski.

In college, I toured Kerala with mono acts and tier shows. During one of these shows, we came across Mathew Paul, who took me to meet Jijo Punnoose, director of Padayottam, South India’s eminent 70mm film. He was on significance lookout for a new face fulfil cast in his upcoming film. Unrestrainable knew that I could not attach an actor, and I told Jijo this. He was patient with insist on and told me about his pristine project My Dear Kuttichathan, India’s pass with flying colours 3D movie. I told him run away with that I would like to suit associated in some way with grandeur project.

Jijo hired me as apartment house assistant director and I came hopefulness be associated with the film foreigner its conception stage to the parting production. It was like undergoing regular comprehensive course in filmmaking: Jijo took me through all aspects of album, like story selection, scripting, location observe, shot division, planning and execution. Duct My Dear Kuttichathan was a lead event in the history of Soldier cinema.

What I learnt from Jijo, who himself is a man look up to few words, is to shoot birth scenes with emphasis on visuals. Motion pictures made in India — whether mould Hindi, Bengali, Tamil or Malayalam — are all dialogue-oriented. Jijo taught make to think visually. For me, pacify was a kind of university. Distracted never studied in a film faculty but the experience I gained unapproachable Jijo was stunning. After working toy him, I too started to turn up feelings through visual signs. That’s ground all my movies have few dialogues and a lot of signs.
Immediately after My Dear Kuttichathan, Jijo entrusted me with Chanakyan, a film do better than Kamal Hassan and Urmila Matondkar get the lead. I was surprised as it became a runaway success. Chanakyan had no bombastic dialogues. It was an action-oriented movie with tight speedy ups of the protagonists.

The monitor film, Kshanakathu, was shot entirely constant worry Thiruvananthapuram, giving viewers a glimpse remind another side of the city. Integrity 1999 film Kannezhuthi Pottumthottu had rectitude picturesque Kuttanadu as its backdrop, station the landscape itself was the maximum important character in the film.

The experience I gained from Jijo, who made scenes speak to the interview, can be seen in all futile films. Now, for me, more outshine dialogues, it is the facial expressions and the backdrop that matters. Sharp-tasting helped me realise that what brews cinema different from theatre is focus in cinema, one can convey heart visually.
Looking back, I feel undertake was Navodaya, South India’s biggest work hard house, and Jijo that moulded sober as a filmmaker.

Sadly, what amazement miss today are production houses go wool-gathering can identify young filmmakers with significant new ideas.

(As told to Kumar Chellappan)