Kalidas Jayaram: While working with Santosh sir, I kept asking him about Thalapathy

Prior to the lockdown and before he got busy with organic farming, Kalidas Jayaram was eagerly awaiting the release of his Malayalam-Tamil bilingual Jack & Jill. For him, the film provided an opportunity to work with industry stalwarts Santosh Sivan and Manju Warrier.

“I have known Manju chechi since childhood and we used to keep meeting at shows and functions. So, it was comfortable to work with her,” says Kalidas. He says he considers it his “biggest blessing” to work with the film’s director Santosh Sivan. “I am his hardcore fan. I know each shot that he captured for Mani Ratnam sir’s Thalapathi, by heart. I love how he played with lights and shadows in the movie and my favourite shot is the sunset scene with Rajni sir,” he says.

He also used the opportunity to learn from Santosh, who also cranked the camera for the film. “I never took breaks between shots and instead would go to Santosh sir and ask him about the scenes in Thalapathi. I must have troubled him enough with my questions,” he quips. “I consider myself lucky to stand in front of his camera too.”

Apart from Kalidas and Manju Warrier, the film also has Soubin Shahir, Basil Joseph, and Nedumudi Venu in pivotal roles.