Sangeeth Prathap on 'Hridayapoorvam': 'Lalettan Can See The Full Film Even As We’re Shooting It'

Best known for playing Amal Davis, the hilarious best friend in Premalu, editor-turned-actor Sangeeth Prathap returns this week as the loyal comic sidekick with the legendary Mohanlal in Hridayapoorvam. In what’s said to be a comedy about a man meeting the family of his donor after he’s had a heart transplant, the Malayalam film gave Sangeeth a ringside view of how a veteran director like Sathyan Anthikad shoots his films after working with directors from the newer generation.

He says, “Right from his filmmaking style to the way he divides shots, everything is different with Sathyan sir. I feel working on his school of filmmaking has enhanced my understanding of cinema, not just as an actor but also as an editor.”

He explains further, “In the films that I’ve worked on earlier, such as Premalu or Bromance, what we’re acting for is one full scene. We first perform the scene, and then we try to build it up during the shoot based on the flow we achieved after a couple of rehearsals. We finish the scene first, and later get into cut shots or reaction shots.”

But with Sathyan Anthikad and team, he acted for one shot at a time. "It didn't have to be in order. We might be shooting the reaction shot first and then we go into the dialogue. We needed to remember our expressions from the previous shot and what we’re going to express next. That should play in the back of your mind. It was super difficult for me at the start, but as the shoot progressed, I was able to break it down," he explains.

The difference, he feels, is the experience of working in films over four decades. “It’s like both Sathyan sir and Lalettan can see the full film even as they’re shooting it. And I don’t mean this in a vague manner. They have the skill-set to act according to how the scene will look, in the final edit. At times, Lalettan needs just a single word or a voice as his cue to perform.”

Sangeeth Prathap was seen in Thudarum too along with Mohanlal, earlier this year. “As I see it, these are not things I’d dreamt of. Acting with Lalettan in two movies in the same year, with one becoming a blockbuster, is just too unreal to even hope for. But as with anything in life, when good things happen, I’m mature enough to realise that none of this is my effort alone or the result of the work I’d done. It’s so much more.”