Veteran filmmaker Shaji Kailas looks back at the making of Paprika and shares why he thinks the 2009 action thriller failed to resonate with audiences. Although the film generated a lot of buzz before its release, it failed to perform as expected at the box office.In a recent interview with Club FM, the director revealed that the original concept for Paprika was very different from what ended up on screen. According to him, major changes were made to the script after Mohanlal could accept a longer shooting schedule.Shaji Kailas admitted that those last-minute changes changed the basis of the story and ultimately affected the film’s overall impact.
Team asks only for Mohanlal’s voice
Explaining the evolution of the project, Shaji Kailas revealed that Mohanlal’s character OMR was initially designed as a limited character who could only be heard through phone conversations.Recalling the incident, the director said, “OMR was originally a character who would only appear for two days. In fact, he was supposed to exist only through phone conversations. That’s how we initially approached Lal. We just asked for his voice. But Lal said, ‘No, I will come in person, let’s do it.'”Even so, we told him two days would be enough. Around that time, one of his shoots in China was postponed. Then he told us, “I am free now.” ‘”An unexpected change in Mohanlal’s schedule gave the filmmakers the opportunity to expand his role, but also resulted in major changes to the script.
How did the story change during the production process?
Shaji Kailas explained that Mohanlal ended up spending nine days on the project instead of the two originally planned.He said, “I informed Sajan immediately. We managed to extend the time and ended up shooting with him for nine days. We went to him just to get his voice, but he stayed with us for nine days. Naturally, the character had to change. In the process, we broke the basis of the story. Because we had him for nine days, we expanded his role. That meant we had to cut several other parts of the film.”The director said the script had to be revised quickly to make the most of Mohanlal’s unexpected availability.
Shaji Kailas says rewrites hurt film
The director admits that expanding Mohanlal’s role resulted in rushed writing, which affected the final product.He added, “We had to make use of his free time because he gave us these dates. So we added a few scenes for Lal. These scenes were written in a hurry and that affected the entire film.”Paprika, which released in 2009, starred Mohanlal and was shot on a massive scale. However, despite high expectations, it failed to achieve the commercial success many expected.Meanwhile, Shaji Kailas’ latest directorial venture, Varavu, is now in theaters. The movie stars Joju George.
