I’m part of the new-gen; I just started earlier, says Sathyan Anthikad

He is a film industry veteran of over four decades and 58 films, but Sathyan Anthikad considers himself to be a ‘new-gen’ director. “I am also a part of the new-gen, I just happened to come into the field earlier,” he says, laughing.

“Change is inevitable. I prefer to live in the present and dream of the future.

Our past was just a guide for our growth. I’m also lucky to have two young directors (twin sons Akhil and Anoop) to discuss new-gen ideas at home. They won’t allow me to bring any old ideas into my films.”Sathyan’s films are known for their gentle emotional drama and he says it is a formula that will work with every generation of audiences. “I feel if human sentiment and humour are presented in an emotional manner, the audiences will accept it.

And my latest film, Hridayapoorvam , is proof of this. We sometimes get misleading opinions that today’s audiences and their interests are different. This makes some filmmakers nervous.

On the other hand, I don’t bother about these opinions. I present stories that I think are good in a manner that I like. I also like watching new-gen films and I feel that I will change according to the times. I am not the same person who made Kurukkante Kalyanam in 1982.

I have undergone changes and growth,” he says.

Speaking about his long-time collaboration with Mohanlal, who also plays the lead in his latest film, he says, “This is my 20th film with Mohanlal. In a way, we grew together in the industry. Whether it is TP Balagopalan MA , Nadodikkattu , Rasathanthram or Hridayapoorvam , I pick Lal for roles when I feel the characters must showcase expressions that I like in him. And even today, he surprises me in front of the camera.

I look forward to going to the sets when I am working with him. When we give him a character, he believes in the character more than us and becomes that person.

That is magic. We feel that Mohanlal does it instinctively, but he says, it isn’t so; he works and thinks about the character.”‘With technology, we can show big adventures’Explaining how storytelling has changed over the years, Sathyan says “When I made Appunni (1984), we would have details, like a man walking down the field, coming home and washing his feet, calling out for a drink, sitting down and fanning himself, before the woman asks, ‘What is the news?’ Today, we’d start with him sitting on the chair. Today, cinema reflects the pace of our lives,” he says. He says positive changes include the improvement in technical aspects.

“Having shifted from celluloid to digital, we can now show big adventures on screen. If I were to make Pappan Priyappetta Pappan (1986) today, I could show perfectly how Kaalan sits on the buffalo,” he points out.