Chennai filmmaker touches base with iconic South Korean directors

Chennai

Monish, whose short film Alli Malarum Adhikaalai has garnered half a million hits on Youtube, says it was his dream to work with Kwak Jae Young, the director of iconic films like My Sassy Girl and The Classic . “I had sent an email to his production house and was thrilled when Kwak himself wrote to me. We were in touch over the past six months and since the crew had already been finalised, Kwak offered me the post of an on-spot observer,” says Monish, who was in Qingdao, China, for the film shoot, which featured Chinese actors and Korean technicians. Speaking about his experience, Monish says he was impressed by the production values he encountered there. “A storyboard is created for every scene and everyone on location is given a copy.

Even though there was a language barrier, the storyboard gave a clear picture,” he says, adding that he would like to facilitate Korean technicians to work in Kollywood. “I want to bridge the gap between the two countries. The crew here was aware of Bollywood but were surprised to find out that there were other film industries too. But they all like Indian films because of the song and dance sequences,” he laughs.  Monish, who recently travelled to South Korea for the film’s post-production, also got a chance to meet director Kim Ki Duk, whose iconic films 3-Iron and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring are hugely popular. “I had sent my short film to Kim Ki Duk and he was kind enough to give me his inputs. Kim Ki Duk, who is very famous among south Indian film buffs, came to Kerala in 2013 but I didn’t get a chance to meet him. I was very depressed. So on my trip to Seoul, I really wanted to meet him. I was very excited when he agreed. He was surprised and happy to know that he had many fans here. We spoke about films — Korean and Indian — and that was the best day of my life,” he concludes.