As Aishwarya Rai and Sonam Kapoor wow the crowds at the Cannes Film Festival, yet another Indian will be making his first red carpet appearance. Thamizhz Thiyagarajan, director of Donna, a six minute long short film, is one of a select few to be invited to showcase his film at the festival. “We made the film with the intention of sending it to Cannes. When we got a positive response from the organisers, we couldn’t believe it. This is a huge recognition for all of us. We made the project on a modest budget, and for an effort like this to win, it is very exhilarating.” says Thamizhz.
A Civil Engineer by profession, Thamizhz has produced this film under his home banner, Rex Pictures and credits his cast and crew for helping him realise his dream. “I had a tight knit technical team – my cinematographer Vardhan and editor Dani Charles were of particular help. It took a little under three months for Donna to come out perfect and they all worked really hard to make sure there were no flaws.”
Dani Charles though was not surprised when Donna was selected to be screened at Cannes. “The film has a novel concept and Thamizhz is a stickler for perfection. With so much going for it, there was no stopping Donna.” He also added that the film reflects relationships as they are today. “Thamizhz has shown a mirror to new age relationships. It’s all about ego!”
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Thamizhz stumbled upon the idea behind Donna when he attended a series of lectures on parallel cinema. “The short film focusses on the balance of power between two people in a relationship. It is like a power struggle between the man and the woman. It also deals with issues of inferiority complex.”
Due to its complex theme, Thamizhz felt that dialogues would be too much of a distraction. “I decided to have the actors narrate the story using their body movements and facial expressions alone. It was a novel effort in every way.”
Starring Heethesh Sami, Mallika in the lead roles, the film has cinematography by Vardhan, and is edited by Dani Charles. Thamizhz is currently involved with the pre-production work on his feature film, and is in talks with several actors to portray the lead role.