In the Tamil movie Navarathri, Sivaji Ganesan essayed nine characters—corresponding to the nine emotions—which was reprised by Sanjeev Kumar in the Hindi movie Naya Din Nai Raat. Kamal Haasan then broke that record by playing ten roles in his movie Dasavathaaram. But, even that achievement did not hold up for long. Priyanka Chopra painstakingly portrayed 12 characters in her 2009 film What's Your Raashee?
Now, director Sankagiri Rajkumar is taking it one step further. He is embarking on a solo attempt—a feature film titled One. Not only does he portray all the characters in the flick, he even works singularly across all the units—scripts, dialogues, direction, cinematography, choreography, edits, composing music, sound mixing, you name it.
The director is known for his trendsetting movies. His first, Vengayam, told a story of fake godmen and hapless villagers frittering away their wealth and lives. He spoke to THE WEEK on his new venture. “Instead of professional actors, real villagers performed in the movie. Vengayam addressed a topic relevant to Tamil Nadu, while One will speak to a global audience. The message will be universally relatable!"
The 32-year-old plays every single role in the movie. “Apart from all the main characters, I have portrayed each person irrespective of the size of their roles. For instance, there is one scene in which I had to reproduce an entire movie hall with audience. Computer-generated imagery facilitated versions of myself for that. I had to essay the quirks of each and every person. One would munch popcorn, whereas another would overstep and stick their feet on to the seat in front! For this single scene, I donned hundreds of hats.”
According to the director, One is about a group of friends who set out on a journey to attend an award function. They lose their way, and are sidetracked into a forest, stumbling into an abandoned site which previously housed scientists who were researching on ways to freeze the whole world. The site is deserted, and the visitors come into possession of a tool with apocalyptic capabilities.
Kumar shot the film from different locations. “I shot the film in Malaysia, Seattle in the United States, and Rohtang pass near Nepal border—an altitude of 13,400ft."
The filmmaker speaks about the difficulties that come along with such a herculean endeavour. “I was particular about not using steady shots. I preferred moving shots, so that people would not dub it inert."
Kumar also talked about the toughest moments while making the movie. “I would wait for a perfect ambience, say a cloudy condition, or an azure sky, for shooting each character's sequence. My head would spin while editing, as I had to sift through the data sequentially, and put them in the proper order."
Kumar made the movie One in English and Tamil, and is going to release it worldwide.
The director’s next will yet again be science fiction. “I have written the script for a science fiction movie, for which I am currently in talks with. I wish to cast a hero with mass appeal, as it is going to be a commercial movie."
