When you chose a story with such a powerful and colourful backdrop, did you at any moment think how it would be received?
Kaliyattam was made after Desadanam, and at that time, I was in an experimental period.
You decided to have Suresh Gopi as the theyyam artiste but he was known only as an action hero till then. What did you see in him?
Othello is a very powerful personality. Similarly, according to the villagers, Perumalayan looks extremely powerful and handsome in all the theyyams. That is because his body is suited for that. So, I wanted an actor who would look physically powerful.
Like you said earlier, the most powerful character in the drama is Iago but you chose an actor who had never acted before.
Like Suresh, (Gopi) Lal's appearance also is quite menacing and powerful. In fact, I had asked him to act in an earlier film of mine as a villain but as he was only a producer and had never acted before, he refused. I saw villainy in his physical appearance, eyes and body language. When I started Kaliyattam, once again I thought of Lal. Luckily, he agreed to be my Iago.
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