Exclusive | Director Rohith VS Says 'TikiTaka' Has Over 20 Action Sequences, Calls it 'Tiring But Equally Exciting'

Director Rohith VS opened up about shooting his upcoming action drama film TikiTaka, revealing that it comprises over 20 action sequences. "TikiTaka has 20-plus action scenes, actually a lot more than that," he told THR India. "Shooting action continuously is very tiring, but it's equally exciting."

He described the preparation for each sequence as methodical, with every move planned and rehearsed by the team before they arrive on set. "My team and I, we actually plan action more than the scenes. We plan every move of an action piece. We do it ourselves, and then we go to the set and do it."

Rohith revealed that he realised his interest in creating an action drama film during the shoot of Kala. He realised he enjoyed staging large-scale action and the kind of heightened characters that come with it. "It actually gives me a lot of kick and fun. Then I understood that that's my childhood memory coming back — I always wanted to watch such films." He felt that the process of creating the film was “an extension of that childhood dream.” 

Discussing the techniques behind mass action filmmaking, Rohith looked back at his earliest memories of such films, specifically those by Shaji Kailas and Priyadarshan. He recollected a specific sequence in Narasimham — the cut to a black frame before Mohanlal appears in a profile shot, and the long tracking shot that follows — as an example of how the genre works at a frame level. "That gravitas can only be pulled if we are shooting it frame by frame, shot by shot. Otherwise, you will not get the feel of it."

"Ultimately, people want to see mass action. As kids, we were only in theatres for a mass action film. If the title cards didn’t feature a fight master, I was super disappointed,” Rohith explained, noting how the attempt was to bring that same approach into a different visual register with TikiTaka.

Produced by Anto Joseph Film Company, TikiTaka stars Asif Ali, Wamiqa Gabbi and Naslen.

The film’s release date is yet to be announced.