Dubai boy hits the big leagues with Malayalam film ‘Trance’
Len Prasad looks back at his experience of working in a career-defining Malayalam film
Imagine putting aside three years of your life in order to be a part of a Malayalam film that seemed to have the potential to be an iconic blockbuster.
Dubai-based filmmaker and engineer by profession Len Prasad decided to take that creative gamble when he got the golden opportunity to be a part of Fahadh Faasil and Nazriya Nazim-starrer ‘Trance’, out in UAE cinemas now. He was on call to assist director Rasheed during filming and even played a small role in the movie.
“Trance’ will always hold a special place in my heart ... I learnt so many valuable life lesson while being director Anwar Rasheed sir’s assistant. His attention to detail and his passion for his craft is something I will never forget,” said Prasad in an exclusive interview with Gulf News tabloid,
Prasad has a degree in engineering from a college in Dubai, but he went to Mumbai to pursue his filmmaking dreams.
The actor-director hopeful also plays Faasil’s on-screen loyalist when the lead hero becomes a pastor.
“Anwar sir always brings out the best out of everyone he works with and that’s very evident in our film ‘Trance’ ... Every day during filming was challenging. As new challenges cropped up, we learnt how to tackle those well. His attention to detail and his meticulous nature is something that I want to emulate,” said Prasad.
According to him, the scenes that featured swathes of people in ‘Trance’ were the most challenging ones to execute and pull off.
In the trailer, the lead hero is shown embracing the pastor with thousands of loyalists worshipping him and his sermons ardently.
“Anwar sir was particular that those thousands in the crowds were not doing uniform actions like you see in some cheesy films. He wanted it to be realistic and organic. Making those scenes happen was challenging, but you felt a sense of accomplishment after pulling it off,” explained Prasad.
Seven years ago, Prasad had assisted actor-director Soubin Shahir in the award-winning film ‘Parava’, produced by Rasheed. The Kumbalangi Night actor Shahir also plays an important role in this psychedelic film that has been embraced by movie fans across Kerala. ‘Trance’ is being hailed as one of the best experimental films of 2020 in Kerala and has garnered positive reviews.
“Soubin is like a brother to me. When I was new to the world of films, I even stayed with him till I could find my feet in the industry. While ‘Parava’ was relatively smaller in scale, ‘Trance’ is more ambitious. Learning from all these cinematic greats makes me feel blessed,” said Prasad.
So did he regret putting aside three years of his life for a single film?
Malayalam film industry is prolific and is infamous for churning out films at a rapid rate. In less than six months, a director can roll out his film. So by that standard, ‘Trance’ is no cinematic quickie.
“To keep aside three years of my life for this film was the best decision that I have ever taken. I have no regret because I learnt so much in these three years. This is something that no film school in the world can teach you,” said Prasad.
He also describes Faasil and Nazim, real-life partners, as actors with tremendous heart and grace.
“They are so easy and good to work with. Everyone was so involved in the film from the word go ... Fahadh Faasil spent a lot of energy and gave this film his career-best performance. And when I read the glowing reviews, I am thrilled that I was a part of such a brilliant film,” said Prasad.
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‘Trance’ is out in the UAE cinemas now.