Jayasurya's 'Titans' hit by negative reviews: Director Prince Joy asks fans not to give up on fantasy movies

Director Prince Joy, whose latest film ‘Titans’ starring Jayasurya is currently running in theatres, recently made a heartfelt plea on social media, urging people who love fantasy films to come to theatres to watch his film, rather than waiting for the film to start streaming on OTT. Now, as the director chats with Onmanorama, he reveals he felt it was important for people to not miss a film he believes is good enough for theatres. 

“Because, I know there are many people who love fantasy and our film provides that opportunity. But I feel that the movie has been affected by negative reviews, and by doing that, many who love that genre will miss the opportunity to watch it in theatres.,” he said over phone. Prince shared that he was dejected by the criticism that came his way, but keeps his hope strong. 

“Of course, we are open to constructive criticism. As a filmmaker, I believe it helps us learn and grow. However, forming a negative opinion about a film without giving it a fair chance is not right. I believe a film should be watched and experienced before it is judged," he said. "Apart from the actors, there are a lot of technicians too who have put in so much effort for the movie, and I feel that should not go under-appreciated,” he added.

Prince revealed that the movie took over a year in post-production alone, following a 50-day shoot. "The heavy VFX work required meticulous, continuous collaboration with the team," he noted. He also shared a behind-the-scenes anecdote about Vinayakan playing an angel without actual wings: "We would tell him about the wings beforehand, and he would visualise them while acting. It was a challenging yet fascinating process."

On Vinayakan as an actor, Prince said he was a different kind of actor who does what the director wants him to do. “He was interested in the concept of him playing an angel. That is what brought him to the project. More than that, he is not the kind of actor who would enquire too much in detail about the entire script or too much of what his character would be like. His process is something he adapts to on the sets,” he said.

The decision to cast actors such as Indrans and Vinayakan in unconventional avatars was intended to create a sharp contrast in the film. “Vinayakan has played several villainous roles, so casting him as an angel was inherently contradictory. The same was true of Indrans, whose character is portrayed as all-knowing, although we never explicitly identify him as God. The film is built around contrasts. We portray God as black, weak and desiring, while the opposing force is strong, white and visually appealing. These contrasts are explored in detail in the film. We decided to tell the story with the humour it deserved rather than take an overly serious approach,” he said.

According to Prince, audience perceptions of fantasy films have changed significantly following the success of recent films. “Those films set a benchmark by blending fantasy with a serious tone, and its success has influenced how audiences perceive the genre. I still believe that our approach was right and that comedy has a place in fantasy films,” he said.

However, Prince acknowledged that certain scenes in ‘Titans’ may have suffered from errors in judgement. He maintained that his intention was not to spoon-feed the audience by overexplaining the characters or presenting the narrative in a conventional manner. “The first draft was a straightforward story, but the film evolved considerably from that version. Even the format in which the story is told now is significantly different from the original draft,” he added.

Prince ended the conversation with an appeal to those who genuinely love fantasy: "The film deserves a chance in theatres,” he stated.  ‘Titans’ stars Jayasurya in the lead role as Antony Yakusa, alongside Vinayakan, Baby Jean, Indrans, and is backed by Midhun Manuel Thomas, who helmed the ‘Aadu’ franchise.