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01
Here's a light on a few unsung people whose work in films became a talking point this year...
Alkhas Joseph, celebrity trainer
Film: I; Talking point: Vikram's different looks
My first tryst with celebrity training was with actor Suriya, where I trained him for over four-and-a-half years. I helped him get his chiselled look in Vaaranam Aayiram, which is still talked about. In April 2012, I began training Vikram, after he approached me to build his body for a bare-body stunt sequence in Thaandavam. We were in London, working on the film, when the initial talks of I began. So, Vikram requested me to continue to train him in order to get the three drastically different looks of the film right. The shooting of I progressed over a period of two years, and I was with him for over a year-and-a-half, where I worked with him as well as his ex-trainer as a team.
The first look was the body-builder look for which he was on a high protein and carbohydrate diet. The fat intake was kept deliberately less as he had to convert his stored-up fat into muscle. Taking his age into consideration, I had to ensure that there was enough recovery time between the repetition sets when he lifted heavy weights. I also ensured that the number of sets he did for each of the weights exercises was less.
The second look — that of a model — was more of a sculpted look. We were in China, where the shooting was going on for almost two months and this schedule involved a lot of stunts and action sequences and this was technically where all my work lay. His diet during this time was a high protein, low carb and almost nil-fat diet. His workout was less of weights, but more of box jumps, TRX, resistance training and high intensity internal training (HIIT). The goal here was to burn more calories and therefore, the recovery time between the sets was less — about 30 to 45 seconds.
The final look was the skinny one for Koonan, where he had to lose drastic amounts of weight. For this, he was on a very meagre diet — half an apple for breakfast, veggies post workout and veggies for lunch and dinner as well. He wasn't eating much, so his workout had to be short and intense. So, we focused more on walking the treadmill and cycling. For this, he did not lift any weights at all. After the film was shot, all he had to do was go back to a balanced normal diet, which he did
Alkhas Joseph, celebrity trainer
Film: I; Talking point: Vikram's different looks
My first tryst with celebrity training was with actor Suriya, where I trained him for over four-and-a-half years. I helped him get his chiselled look in Vaaranam Aayiram, which is still talked about. In April 2012, I began training Vikram, after he approached me to build his body for a bare-body stunt sequence in Thaandavam. We were in London, working on the film, when the initial talks of I began. So, Vikram requested me to continue to train him in order to get the three drastically different looks of the film right. The shooting of I progressed over a period of two years, and I was with him for over a year-and-a-half, where I worked with him as well as his ex-trainer as a team.
The first look was the body-builder look for which he was on a high protein and carbohydrate diet. The fat intake was kept deliberately less as he had to convert his stored-up fat into muscle. Taking his age into consideration, I had to ensure that there was enough recovery time between the repetition sets when he lifted heavy weights. I also ensured that the number of sets he did for each of the weights exercises was less.
The second look — that of a model — was more of a sculpted look. We were in China, where the shooting was going on for almost two months and this schedule involved a lot of stunts and action sequences and this was technically where all my work lay. His diet during this time was a high protein, low carb and almost nil-fat diet. His workout was less of weights, but more of box jumps, TRX, resistance training and high intensity internal training (HIIT). The goal here was to burn more calories and therefore, the recovery time between the sets was less — about 30 to 45 seconds.
The final look was the skinny one for Koonan, where he had to lose drastic amounts of weight. For this, he was on a very meagre diet — half an apple for breakfast, veggies post workout and veggies for lunch and dinner as well. He wasn't eating much, so his workout had to be short and intense. So, we focused more on walking the treadmill and cycling. For this, he did not lift any weights at all. After the film was shot, all he had to do was go back to a balanced normal diet, which he did
02
Parthasarathy, makeup artist
Film: Kanchana-2; Talking point: lawrence’s Makeup
I have been in this industry for more than 45 years and have spent all my life with makeup items and prosthetics. I started my career in director Balachander’s camp, along with popular makeup artist Sundaramurthy. We both worked together for more than 12 years, and after that, I got projects from others. I am 70 now, and only now, am I getting some recognition and appreciation in the industry, after I did the makeup for Raghava Lawrence in the Muni films. The production house behind Kanchana-2 felicitated me with an award for my work in the film. However, credit should go to Lawrence as well, because it was he who told me what kind of makeup he needed in the film. It took about three to four hours every time but I managed to do it to perfection.
I don’t do much research when it comes to makeup. I do whatever the director needs and will try to get that look by buying the required materials. I watch a lot of Hollywood films to understand what they have done, but many times, we don’t even get some of those materials that they have used in their films here. Sarath Kumar’s makeup in Muni 2: Kanchana also got me wide appreciation, and that was a reward that I got after almost 40 years of working in this industry. Lawrence wants me to be the makeup artist for his next film, Motta Siva Ketta Siva, too. Though I do not know if it is going to be a horror film, he has told me that there is lot of scope for makeup.
Film: Kanchana-2; Talking point: lawrence’s Makeup
I have been in this industry for more than 45 years and have spent all my life with makeup items and prosthetics. I started my career in director Balachander’s camp, along with popular makeup artist Sundaramurthy. We both worked together for more than 12 years, and after that, I got projects from others. I am 70 now, and only now, am I getting some recognition and appreciation in the industry, after I did the makeup for Raghava Lawrence in the Muni films. The production house behind Kanchana-2 felicitated me with an award for my work in the film. However, credit should go to Lawrence as well, because it was he who told me what kind of makeup he needed in the film. It took about three to four hours every time but I managed to do it to perfection.
I don’t do much research when it comes to makeup. I do whatever the director needs and will try to get that look by buying the required materials. I watch a lot of Hollywood films to understand what they have done, but many times, we don’t even get some of those materials that they have used in their films here. Sarath Kumar’s makeup in Muni 2: Kanchana also got me wide appreciation, and that was a reward that I got after almost 40 years of working in this industry. Lawrence wants me to be the makeup artist for his next film, Motta Siva Ketta Siva, too. Though I do not know if it is going to be a horror film, he has told me that there is lot of scope for makeup.
03
Eka Lakhani, costume designer
Film: O Kadhal Kanmani; Talking point: Leads’ Costumes
Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen wore simple, classy outfits that defined their respective personalities through their outfits. Working with Mani sir is different. He is not your regular director who would ask you to design something for the characters. He wanted the costumes to be artistic without going over-the-top. Aadhi (Dulquer) is a fun guy working for an animation company. Despite being a Tamilian, he lives in Mumbai. Keeping these two aspects in mind, we gave him casual outfits. Along with a tee-jeans combo, we added an element of quirkiness to it. For Tara (Nithya), since she is a gorgeous-looking girl, we gave her a lot of ethnic clothes with a slight western touch. We checked out different Indian weaves and created a lot of pieces. Cropped jackets along with some Indian jewellery did the magic. Along with Mani sir and PC Sreeram sir, I worked on a colour palette for the lead actors. I used to look at MF Hussain's paintings and the colours he used. We went shopping looking for earthen shades to match with the colour tone of the film. Even Bhavani Aunty's (Leela Samson) look was designed in such a way that it went well with the theme of her house. Mani sir and I decided on different colours based on the situations — romance, anger, sadness.
Putting the look for Nithya was most challenging. People have seen her in a particular way, mostly with salwar kameez. We wanted to break that image. We picked a lot of skirts, but then we had to find a mid-length that suited her body type. Mani sir was so particular about the accessories that we went hunting for the right kind of hairclips and handbags that Tara, who was an architect, would use. And we had to take care to ensure that one thing was not louder than the other.
Film: O Kadhal Kanmani; Talking point: Leads’ Costumes
Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen wore simple, classy outfits that defined their respective personalities through their outfits. Working with Mani sir is different. He is not your regular director who would ask you to design something for the characters. He wanted the costumes to be artistic without going over-the-top. Aadhi (Dulquer) is a fun guy working for an animation company. Despite being a Tamilian, he lives in Mumbai. Keeping these two aspects in mind, we gave him casual outfits. Along with a tee-jeans combo, we added an element of quirkiness to it. For Tara (Nithya), since she is a gorgeous-looking girl, we gave her a lot of ethnic clothes with a slight western touch. We checked out different Indian weaves and created a lot of pieces. Cropped jackets along with some Indian jewellery did the magic. Along with Mani sir and PC Sreeram sir, I worked on a colour palette for the lead actors. I used to look at MF Hussain's paintings and the colours he used. We went shopping looking for earthen shades to match with the colour tone of the film. Even Bhavani Aunty's (Leela Samson) look was designed in such a way that it went well with the theme of her house. Mani sir and I decided on different colours based on the situations — romance, anger, sadness.
Putting the look for Nithya was most challenging. People have seen her in a particular way, mostly with salwar kameez. We wanted to break that image. We picked a lot of skirts, but then we had to find a mid-length that suited her body type. Mani sir was so particular about the accessories that we went hunting for the right kind of hairclips and handbags that Tara, who was an architect, would use. And we had to take care to ensure that one thing was not louder than the other.
04
Chinna, Composer
Film: Demonte Colony; Talking point: Background score
I'm a bass guitarist and have been in the industry for 40 years. I debuted in Malayalam and later worked in Telugu films. I have worked for composers like Raj Koti and Mani Sharma and have done the background score for many Telugu films. I have also worked as the solo composer for 15 films there.
The first Tamil film that I did the background score for was Uthamaputhiran. I did that for Vijay Antony, who had to go out of town at the time of composing. I then scored for Arima Nambi, which was my close friend Sivamani's debut as a composer. He was extremely busy and so, asked me to handle the background score. Since it was his first film, I did not want to be credited for my work in the film, though they were sweet enough to mention my name in the thanks card during the titles.
I am doing the background score for Sivamani's next film Kanithan as well and its director Santhosh was very much impressed with my work. He is a good friend of Demonte Colony’s director Ajay Gnanamuthu and recommended me when Keba Jeremiah, who did the music for the film, had to go on AR Rahman’s US tour. But this time, I told Ajay that I wanted credit.
I initially expected Demonte Colony to be usual like any other horror comedy but when I saw it, I realized that it was different — a full-length horror film. I liked it immediately for that and worked on it with great interest. The score was completed within 15 days because the makers had decided on the release date and I used more musicians than I usually do to complete it.
I also was involved during the mixing stage with Four Frames Udhayakumar.
After my work in the film, many are approaching me to do background score for their films. I want to be a specialist background scorer. That is why I even declined a couple of offers because they wanted me to compose the songs as well. I hope that way, I can be helpful to youngsters who might be interested in composing songs but not as much in working on the background score.
Film: Demonte Colony; Talking point: Background score
I'm a bass guitarist and have been in the industry for 40 years. I debuted in Malayalam and later worked in Telugu films. I have worked for composers like Raj Koti and Mani Sharma and have done the background score for many Telugu films. I have also worked as the solo composer for 15 films there.
The first Tamil film that I did the background score for was Uthamaputhiran. I did that for Vijay Antony, who had to go out of town at the time of composing. I then scored for Arima Nambi, which was my close friend Sivamani's debut as a composer. He was extremely busy and so, asked me to handle the background score. Since it was his first film, I did not want to be credited for my work in the film, though they were sweet enough to mention my name in the thanks card during the titles.
I am doing the background score for Sivamani's next film Kanithan as well and its director Santhosh was very much impressed with my work. He is a good friend of Demonte Colony’s director Ajay Gnanamuthu and recommended me when Keba Jeremiah, who did the music for the film, had to go on AR Rahman’s US tour. But this time, I told Ajay that I wanted credit.
I initially expected Demonte Colony to be usual like any other horror comedy but when I saw it, I realized that it was different — a full-length horror film. I liked it immediately for that and worked on it with great interest. The score was completed within 15 days because the makers had decided on the release date and I used more musicians than I usually do to complete it.
I also was involved during the mixing stage with Four Frames Udhayakumar.
After my work in the film, many are approaching me to do background score for their films. I want to be a specialist background scorer. That is why I even declined a couple of offers because they wanted me to compose the songs as well. I hope that way, I can be helpful to youngsters who might be interested in composing songs but not as much in working on the background score.
05
Selvakumar, art director
Film: Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai; Talking point: Prison set
I was an assistant of Sabu Cyril and made my debut in Purampokku director SP Jhananathan's Iyarkkai, in which the set of a light house earned me appreciation. I have done 25 films so far, including Madrassapattinam.
For Purampokku, we initially did not have an idea of erecting the set in Chennai but then, to make the setting realistic, we decided to do so. For research, we visited the old central jail before it was demolished and also visited the prisons in Poonamallee, Rajahmundry and Vellore. In the last three, we weren't allowed to take photos, so we made sketches of what we observed there. The gallows you see in the film was actually inspired from the one in Vellore. I was not part of the visit to that prison but my director and the others in the team took extensive notes to help me. What I realized visiting these prisons was that they weren't very different from factories. So, in that sense, the choice of Binny Mills to construct the set seemed apt. The challenge was in clearing the place and making sure that the original building could not be seen because so many films have been shot here.
It took 45 days for us to put up the set and almost 150-200 people, including carpenters, moulders and builders worked on this set every day. More than a challenging one, this was a learning experience for me. Jhananthan is one director who tries to give every technician something to score in the film and his vision guided us during this project.
Film: Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai; Talking point: Prison set
I was an assistant of Sabu Cyril and made my debut in Purampokku director SP Jhananathan's Iyarkkai, in which the set of a light house earned me appreciation. I have done 25 films so far, including Madrassapattinam.
For Purampokku, we initially did not have an idea of erecting the set in Chennai but then, to make the setting realistic, we decided to do so. For research, we visited the old central jail before it was demolished and also visited the prisons in Poonamallee, Rajahmundry and Vellore. In the last three, we weren't allowed to take photos, so we made sketches of what we observed there. The gallows you see in the film was actually inspired from the one in Vellore. I was not part of the visit to that prison but my director and the others in the team took extensive notes to help me. What I realized visiting these prisons was that they weren't very different from factories. So, in that sense, the choice of Binny Mills to construct the set seemed apt. The challenge was in clearing the place and making sure that the original building could not be seen because so many films have been shot here.
It took 45 days for us to put up the set and almost 150-200 people, including carpenters, moulders and builders worked on this set every day. More than a challenging one, this was a learning experience for me. Jhananthan is one director who tries to give every technician something to score in the film and his vision guided us during this project.
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