Cinema made me discover many things about myself: Ad maker Prakash Varma
He said he always brings something of himself to his ad films.
He said he always brings something of himself to his ad films.
He said he always brings something of himself to his ad films.
Ad filmmaker Prakash Varma can be proud of many things. He has a deep, resonant voice. When he acts, his vocal chords do half the job for him. He can tell a story in five seconds. Ideas dawn on him at midnight. One role in a film has made his mother address him these days by his character's name. He is always switched on, he quotes a line from Home Minister Amit Shah's hour-long speech and admires the use of the caption 'Operation Sindoor' for the military operation launched after Pahalgam massacre. For all these faculties, Varma considers himself an awkward person.
"There is an introvert in me. If I find myself sitting along with five strangers, I would immediately walk away," he said at the Manorama News Conclave 2025, held at the Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Centre in Kochi on Friday. That's why his role in the Malayalam film 'Thudarum' was also a process of self-discovery for him.
"Suddenly I was shooting outdoors and hundreds were watching me. I felt excited. I was discovering something new in me. I am someone who doesn't even watch my own interviews. I keep finding faults. So while acting in a film, I unearthed new aspects about myself," he said.
He said he always brings something of himself to his ad films. "I had a childhood when I used to moon about, trailed by a dog and a stick in my hand. I would spend an entire day doing nothing," said Prakash Varma, who made the iconic ad of Hutch featuring a pug and a boy.
For someone who has churned out charming, celebrity ads in lavish settings, Varma said emotion is the key. "There is no communication without emotion. We are people with stories and we all have emotions. If we bring emotion, we can relate to it. Emotion is universal and it can surpass the visual quality or music," he said.
He has a way of working with celebrities; he observes. He cites an example. "During the shoot with Mohanlal for the jewellery ad, I looked at him with awe. I watched how his hands move with fluidity. If we look at close range, you can even see his moist eyes," he said, even calling the experience a miracle. He recounted how he explored personal facets of great actors and incorporated them in ads. "Mohanlal has a soft side. The moment I told him the concept, he got it".
As a creator of many hit ads, Prakash Varma said that it takes time to build a brand. "Brand building doesn't happen because of one film. I can only build the foundation of a brand," he said.