Director on tricks he employed to elicit authentic performance from claustrophobic actor for psychological thriller
Arshad Warsi
While rumours of Arshad Warsi joining hands with Sanjay Dutt for another edition of Munna Bhai continue to do the rounds, the former is set to appear in filmmaker Niddhish Puuzhakkal’s next, co-starring Juhi Chawla, Divya Dutta, and Jitendra Joshi, among others. As a politician consumed by power and control, Warsi’s character will be seen grappling with unforeseen circumstances in the film that is in post-production.
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Director Puuzhakkal shares of his film’s plot, “Our protagonist wakes up to find himself confined in a space that’s cut off from the outside. With no memory of how he got there, and barely any room to move, he grapples with fear, and desperation. It showcases the incredible strength that leads men when they are faced with difficult situations.”
Puuzhakkal
This psychological thriller, he says, will witness a remarkable transformation of his protagonist. “Naren, a political wolf accustomed to bending the world to his will, is reduced to vulnerability. It’s a journey into the depths of the human psyche,” he says, adding that the film is based on his childhood experiences, and the concept of immurement, or the state of imprisonment.
Highlighting that Warsi reacted to his narration with a discouraging, “Bro, I’m claustrophobic”, the director had to go to great lengths to make him comfortable. “The first day was intense, considering the claustrophobic nature of the surroundings, which affected both of us. However, Arshad’s professionalism and dedication shone through as he tackled the challenge well. In order to extract a raw performance from him, I used psychological techniques to immerse him in his character’s mindset. I created scenarios and environments on set that mirrored the claustrophobic environment his character was in. I encouraged him to tap into his own fears.”
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