Lokesh Kanagaraj On Directing Rajinikanth And Kamal Haasan: "A Director's Actor Vs A Technician First"

In addition to Rajinikanth, Lokesh Kanagaraj's upcoming film Coolie also features Kamal Haasans daughter, actress Shruti Haasan

05 Nov 2024, 07:17 · www.ndtv.com

Filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj is gearing up for his first on-screen collaboration with the legendary actor Rajinikanth. Their upcoming film, Coolie, is set to release next year. Two schedules of the project have already been shot. Interestingly, before working with Rajinikanth, Lokesh directed another iconic actor, Kamal Haasan, in the 2022 film Vikram. The director proudly identifies himself as a fan of Kamal Haasan. Recently, Lokesh shared his thoughts on the differences between directing Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. Lokesh said, “It is a blessing to work with Kamal sir and Rajini sir. Everybody knows that I am a huge fan of Kamal Haasan sir. But, I just want to show what a Kamal sir fan can do to a Rajini sir fan. We are fans of all the stars. I am a fan of Kamal sir, and at the same time, I love Rajini sir's films also because I grew up watching his films. So, it was like surreal for me to direct Rajini sir. But, I think I am doing a bit well,” in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India.

Speaking about Rajinikanth's acting approach, Lokesh Kanagaraj described him as a “director's actor.” The director shared, “With Rajini sir's film, Coolie, that I am doing right now – I have just completed two schedules, like 50 days plus. But the little experience that I shared with Rajini sir is that it has been a process. For the past year, we have been talking, talking, talking, and then floors for the past two months. What I have learnt is Rajini sir is a director's actor. That magic that he brings on screen. There is no difference between off-screen and on-screen sites. He keeps on thinking about the scene and the process. His mind works like what the actor is going to do with the scene when I am going to react this way. He would sit. He would not take a rest, even for the suggestion, where we can cheat someone standing because he says no to everything. He stands for every suggestion.” It is worth noting that Coolie also features Kamal Haasan's daughter, actress Shruti Haasan.

Talking about Kamal Haasan, Lokesh Kanagaraj noted that before being an actor, he was a technician. “When it comes to Kamal Haasan sir, it is a completely different school. He himself used to say that more than an actor, he feels that he is a technician first. So, now you see the difference between talking about a scene to a technician and to an actor. So, that is the difference I found between both of them (Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan). When it comes to acting. I can't explain how it feels. You just have to experience it because in front of saying action, cut to both these living legends – it is always surreal to me,” the director said.

Lokesh Kanagaraj concluded, “But when it comes to filmmaking, we have written how the character will react for 2 years at least. When it happens in front of camera, we forget about the actors. We just see the characters. So, in that way, these are all little-little observations when I say cut and after that, during the shot break, that I used to observe. But, when it comes to on-screen, it is serious business. So, we just see them as characters of the film.”

Lokesh Kanagaraj made his directorial debut in 2016 with the Tamil language anthology film Aviyal. He has also directed films such as Maanagaram, Kaithi, Master and Leo.

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