Dance choreographer
Prasanna Sujit talks about his experiences in the films, 'Billu
Barber', 'Kakkakuyil' and 'Kaadhal Kondein'
At the location of the
Bollywood film, 'Billu Barber', at Film City, Mumbai, in 2008,
the sun was shining brightly at 11 a.m. But dance choreographer
Prasanna Sujit was shivering. That was because he was about to show
the signature step for the song, 'Marjaani Marjaani' to
superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
Soon, Shah Rukh appeared
on the set. He watched Prasanna from a distance. Then he came up and
said, “Are you nervous?” The choreographer said, “Yes, I am.”
Shah Rukh smiled and said, “Relax, I am a chilled-out guy.”
Prasanna began to breathe
easier. Then he went some distance away from the star and performed
the steps. Shah Rukh immediately came running up and said, “This
is fabulous. Please teach me.”
After a brief rehearsal,
the shot was taken and completed in one take.
Thereafter, Prasanna went
to have lunch in his vanity van. After a while, there was a knock.
When the door opened, Shah Rukh came in and said, “Thanks,
Prasanna, you did a very good job. Hope to meet you soon.”
Then Shah Rukh paused and
said, “Why don't you call me when the IPL [Indian Premier League]
match comes to Chennai? You can watch it with me in the VIP box.”
An overwhelmed Prasanna
nodded silently.
Another superstar who made
a lasting impact on Prasanna was Mohanlal. Prasanna worked with him
for the song, 'Govinda Govinda' in the Mollywood film 'Kakkakuyil'
(2001). “I was recovering from a fracture on the right hand,”
says Prasanna. “Mohanlal was also not well. He was suffering from
cold and fever and taking medicines.”
There was a sequence when
director Priyardarshan asked Prasanna to do a cartwheel and land on
one knee and remain in that position. “When I was practising,
my hand slipped and I was not able to land properly,” says
Prasanna.
Mohanlal noticed this and
told Prasanna, “You are trying to do a cartwheel when you have a
problem with your hand. You should not do it. In fact, I will do
it.”
But Prasanna pleaded that
he would do it. But Mohanlal stood firm.
In the end, Priyadarshan
agreed for a physically-weak Mohanlal to practise the cartwheels.
“Again, like with Shah Rukh, the shot was done in one take,”
says Prasanna. “It was a very touching gesture on Mohanlal's
part.”
Prasanna had a different
experience on the sets of the Tamil film 'Kaadhal Kondein' (2003),
which had Dhanush in the lead role. It was being shot in the
Talakona forest, near Tirupati. “It was an era where there was no
wifi or WhatsApp,” says Prasanna. At 2 p.m., director
Selvaraghavan gave the audio track, which contained the theme music,
to Prasanna and asked him to choreograph the dance immediately. “We
have to complete the shoot before 5.30 p.m.,” the director said.
“It is winter, so the light will fade very fast.”
Prasanna thought for a
while and came up with the idea to use the choreography of a tribal
dance. When Prasanna showed the steps to Selvaraghavan, he liked it.
He quickly turned to Dhanush, and said, “Learn it from Prasanna.”
Soon, the shoot took
place. When it was over, Selvaraghavan came up to Prasanna and
said, “Actually, this theme music was to be used much
earlier. But because it has come out so well, I want to use it
in the climax, along with a fight sequence.”
Prasanna said, “Please go
ahead. It is an honour.”
(The
New Indian Express, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode)
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