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Twists and turns

Prabhu Deva. Click for bigger pic!

Shobha Warrier

Prabhu Deva was riding high on the popularity chart when I first met him. That was three years ago, immediately after the immense success of his Kaadhalan.

He said then that success frightened him, that he was not sure whether he could live up to the expectations of the people. Unfortunately, the films he starred in after Kaadhalan flopped one after another, except for Rajiv Menon's Minsara Kanavu, which was a hit in the cities.

And when I met him again, Prabhu Deva had about him the disillusionment you'd expect about a person who isn't doing too well. He looked sad too, since he could no longer do what he liked best -- dancing and choreography. But he is still the same man, a man of few words:

Your father Sundaram had been in the film industry as a dance master for a very long time. Do you remember visiting the film sets with him as a young boy?

We never used to go to the film sets. At the most, we might have gone a couple of times to see film shoots, that too with my mother. I remember having seen only the shooting of Mani Ratnam's Mouna Raagam and a Kannada film as a young boy.

Were you not interested in movies then?

I was only a small boy then. Like all small boys, I was more interested in playing than films. Here in Madras all children learn either music or some musical instruments. In our case, as our father was a dance master, we were taught Bharatanatyam. It was not our father who taught us but another dance master.

Was it because you were good at dancing that you decided to enter the film industry as a choreographer?

No, no. I was not good at studies. So, after the 11^th standard, I didn't pursue my studies further. But then, we have to do something in life. So, I decided to follow my father's footsteps. I was his assistant for one and a half years before becoming a full-fledged dance master. In fact, when I was in 9^th or 10^th standard itself, I had assisted my father. That was Mani Ratnam's Agni Nakshatram

How did the big heroes react to a young boy of 13 or 14 teaching them dance steps?

I had no problem with the heroes. See, I was not helping them in acting, my forte was only dancing, which, fortunately, nobody questioned. If people feel you are good at something, they will listen to you. More than that, I was the son of the most sought after dance master. Physically I didn't look like a small boy then. Can you believe I was as tall as I am today? (laughs)

Were you very excited when your father asked you to assist him?

I was not at all excited. Don't ask me why, because I do not know the reason. I was asked to assist my father and I just did that. It was like any other work for me. I didn't know then that it was a big thing. See I was only 14.

But when I was asked to work independently as a dance master for a song in Kamal Sir's Vetri Vizha, I was slightly scared. For that matter, any youngster would be scared to work for a film of Kamal Haasan and it was a big banner too. But all of them were very helpful and kind to me. They made me relax, since it was they the people who asked my father to give me independent charge for that particular song. Of course, when I did the first song, my father was there in the same studio, doing choreography for a Rajnikant film. One song after the other, I slowly began gaining in confidence.

With Kajol. Click for bigger pic!

From a dance master to a hero. Was it unexpected?

Even when I was assisting my father, many directors used to tell me, 'You dance very well. We will make you a hero in our next film.' Whenever they made such comments, I just said, 'Okay, okay' because I didn't take them seriously. And they weren't serious too. Only Pavithran did what he said. The truth is, I didn't want to be a hero in the first place. I was quite happy teaching artists dance steps.

With Kaadhalan, you became nationally popular but all your other films flopped. How did you accept the successes and failures?

To tell you the truth, I didn't know then that I was so popular. Yes, people expected a lot from me and, naturally, I was frightened. Now let me tell you about the failures. Even while we were shooting those films, I knew they were not going to do well. You get that gut feeling as the film progresses. So, the failures did not come as a surprise to me. I knew their fate earlier itself.

Did you err in the choice of movies?

Could be, could be. My choice of films may not have been right. But when somebody narrates a story to you, you feel it is good. And you start every film with some confidence in the film-maker. Only when they start shooting, do you really understand their ability to translate the story into a good film. Ultimately, when the film flops, it won't hurt you much. Yes, you will feel bad if a good product fails in the market. You will feel unhappy if your hard work is not appreciated.

You were quite good as an actor in Rajiv Menon's Minsara Kanavu.

The credit for my performance goes to Rajiv Menon only. If you ask me how I managed to perform well, I do not know. I always do what the directors ask me to. Rajiv Menon was quite good as a director, and that was why the movie came out well.

I'll tell you one thing. I do not know how to take the compliments from those in the film industry. Every time a new film of mine is released, they tell me, 'You have acted in this movie' as if I have not acted in the others. Somehow, I am treated as a newcomer in all my films.

The songVennilave... Vennilave... choreographed by you was totally different from your earlier songs, more on the lines of Gene Kelly. You won the national award also for the song. Was it your idea or Rajiv Menon's?

If that song is good, the credit should go to the director and the director alone. That is why I always felt the success of a movie or a song depends solely on the director. The director should have the ability, patience and inclination to give ideas.

Were you thrilled when you won the National award for choreography for that song

To tell you the truth, I don't believe in awards at all.

Not even the national award?

Click for bigger pic!

I do not know why, but awards do not excite me or make me unduly happy. It all started with an incident that happened when I was 16 or 17. In those days, I used to do a lot of choreography. One particular year, almost all of my songs were huge hits. Many people told me that I would get the state award that year. I was thrilled to bits. You should remember I was a young boy then.

But when the announcement came, the award went to somebody else. The reason given was, he had used Bharatanatyam in his compositions. I was very, very disappointed. From that day onwards, awards haven't excited me.

After becoming a hero, you have almost stopped choreographing. What do you like more, acting or choreography?

I like both. What gives me more satisfaction is dance but there is not much money in choreography. One does what gives one more money. Choreography gives me a lot of creative satisfaction, as it is my own creation. So, you are solely responsible for the success or failure of the song. But a film's success depends on teamwork and the abilities of the director.

When you are choreographing a song, you will know whether it is good or bad. But you will have no idea about your contribution as an actor until the post-production work is over. Let me rephrase my earlier statement: I get creative satisfaction only from choreography.

Do you choreograph all your songs these days?

Not all my songs. Some. I find that too bothersome. You see, nobody wants to work hard these days, which I can't tolerate at all. These days, directors just want to finish a product and go on to another. From the director's side, there is no involvement; there are no new ideas. I really cannot understand what is happening on the sets these days.

Will you choreograph for some other actor if you were asked to?

I will have difficulty in choreographing for another actor. I will have not one or two but 10-20 problems. The main problem will be the ego problem. Even if I had choreographed a song with all sincerity, with my heart in it, people might say I was not truthful. If the song was not very good for any reason, they may say that I did it on purpose.

I will give you an example. I am sitting on the sets deep in thought. So, I didn't notice somebody. But he remarked, 'When you were a dance master, you used to respect us. Now you think you are a big hero.' I am afraid of such sardonic remarks.

Did anyone make caustic comments like that? Were you hurt then?

Yes, once it happened. I was criticised for not respecting someone. But the person who criticised me was not a very senior or respected person in the industry. I did not take it seriously. Otherwise, I would have been hurt, definitely.

'I lose whatever fire I have for the character and the film, in the waiting itself'

Solo pics of Prabhu Deva by Sanjay Ghosh