Decoding a Scene: How Kannan Thamarakkulam crafted a scene in 'Achayans' in 10 minutes

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Kannan Thamarakkulam's 'Achayans', starring Jayaram, Unni Mukundan, Sanju Shivaram and Adil Ibrahim, was released in 2017. The movie develops as the protagonists take a family trip to Kuttikkanam. The plot takes a turn when two girls, Amala Paul and Anu Sithara, join the guys and one of them gets killed.

The movie has some distinctive shots and unique sequences, thanks to cinematographer Pradeep Nair. Kannan picked a crucial scene in 'Achayans' which was shot in just ten minutes to Decode for Onmanorama readers.

“There is a scene in 'Achayans' in which Prakash Raj questions Jayaram, Unni Mukundan, Adil Ibrahim and Sanju Sivram. It was scheduled for the last day and we were in a hurry to wrap up,” Kannan recalled.

“It was 5 pm by the time we finished. Prakash Raj had to leave from Kuttikanam by 6:30 pm to catch a flight. There was no other date available to shoot that scene,” he added.

While shifting location Kannan spotted a bridge and the four roads leading to it. He found its ideal location to shoot the pending sequence. As they were in a hurry, he shot the entire sequence using a steady cam in natural light and finished it in 10 minutes. The cam followed Prakash Raj while he questioned Jayaram and accompanied him while he questioned the rest three.

“The impact of the scene was massive even though it was shot without much effort,” Kannan said. “The scene was later appreciated by many directors and technicians.”

A still from 'Achayan's (L) and director Kannan Thamarakulam on the sets of the movie (R)

After finishing the dubbing session of that scene, Prakash Raj told Kannan that he never expected the scene to turn out that well.

“I had no plans for shooting that scene. You wouldn't believe, I didn't even make use of lights! The bridge and the four roads gave me a base and four axis points to place these characters for questioning. That's it,” he said.

Kannan Thamarakkulam's latest flick 'Pattabhiraman,' starring Jayaram is running successfully in the theatres.

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