I thoroughly enjoyed creating the world of Sambaloor for Suzhal: G Bramma

Director Bramma G, who made the critically acclaimed film, Kuttram Kadithal, is currently basking in the success of his maiden web series, Suzhal: The Vortex. The show, created by Pushkar and Gayatri, is directed by G Bramma and M Anucharan, and features Aishwarya Rajesh, Kathir, Parthiban and Sriya Reddy in pivotal roles. Suzhal released on Amazon Prime Video on June 17, and the crime thriller revolves around an incident that shakes up the cultural and social fabric of the fictional town of Sambaloor.

Ask Bramma what made him direct a web series and pat comes the reply, "Four years ago, when I had gotten the offer to helm a web series, I was not ready as my focus was primarily on films. But down the line, I understood that web series was yet another medium that has got a life of its own. Today, the audience and the market, both are ready to embrace long form of storytelling. So, when Suzhal came my way, that too with a ready-made script, I felt that I was prepared to take the plunge." 

So, what hooked him to the project? "I think it was the script and the philosophy behind it. Suzhal was all heart and as a filmmaker, that was very important to me. I also looked at the theme, the effort that went behind it and what it was going to convey to the audience. Before we embarked on the show, we delved into the process of writing for a web show, how web series were made in other languages, and how we could collaborate and work together. We had a lot of discussions with the creators, Pushkar and Gayatri. I had never ever dreamt of working with so many technicians and people around for a show and I am glad it came out well."

Was it challenging to work on someone's script? "Until now, I had written my own scripts for my films. But, frankly speaking, people like us are still looking for scripts from others, too. Here, the script was not only written well, but it was ready to be made as well. I think we were fortunate that the creators were open to collaborate with us and let us add our own colours to the script. Their democratic approach helped us to open up and put together the show in the right way, the way it is now. It's a complete collaborative effort and we were given ample space and freedom to work on the series."

What was the most taxing part of the making of Suzhal? "To create the world of Sambaloor! I had to keep in mind that the show was not limited to one season and that if season two, three or four were to be made later, there should be a premise that is ready-made. The burden of creating that world falls in the first four episodes and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. It was exciting and challenging at the same time.  Also, the first part had many lighter moments, romance, songs, smiles et al. I wanted to have some smiles in my portions and I quickly grabbed the opportunity."

Did the director duo visit each other's sets to maintain the consistency of the flow of the story? "In fact, we lived on each other's sets. I would be shooting on the set for two days and then Anu would take over. Sometimes we would shoot certain portions of our respective episodes, back-to-back. On other days, I would shoot my portions, leave and return after a break.  We directors were happy as we got regular breaks between the shots.  But the making process was a nightmare for the technicians and artistes as they had to get varied instructions from both of us, and  adapt to the same, that too in quick succession."

Though Suzhal is set in a fictional small town called Sambaloor in the backdrop of Mayana Kollai, the directors had to ensure that it appealed to a global audience as well. How did they manage to strike the balance? "Well, we chose to remain rooted in some parts, and neutral in others. For instance, some of the characters on Suzhal speak the native Kongu slang. But since we also wanted those in Chennai or Los Angeles to connect to the characters, we portrayed Shanmugam (Parthiban) as someone who had moved to Sambaloor from another town, and hence, didn't have that accent. The younger people on the show had a neutral Tamil accent. As for the festivities of Mayana Kollai, we kept it as authentic as possible. The choice to strike a balance between both, worked well with the audience."

When quizzed if Bramma thought that Suzhal had set a benchmark of sorts for Tamil web content, he says, "That's what the industry folks have been saying. My friends are happy that Suzhal has set a stage for filmmakers to come out with more regional shows. Audiences, too, are now able to connect to web shows better. Earlier, the audience took some time to understand the episodic structure. Today, you can have as many episodes as possible, any number of subplots within the primary plot, and they will still be able to connect with it. Beyond this point, I think that films and web series are just two different mediums to tell stories and filmmakers will have to aspire for both."