Action director Chethan D’ Souza is tight-lipped about Rajinikanth’s upcoming film Jailer 2. He steers clear of spoilers for the highly anticipated movie, but calls the film’s action sequences interesting. The excitement of being part of one of his career’s biggest projects is apparent, as he opens up about the chain of events that led him to Jailer 2, directed by Nelson.
Having made an impression in the Kannada film industry (Bhageera, Max, Ghost) for more than a decade, Chethan aimed to take his career to the next level. That’s when the Fahadh Faasil-starrer Aavesham (2024) arrived as the perfect platform for him. “It was the success of Aavesham that landed me Jailer 2,” he tells The Hindu. “Nelson sir saw the movie and asked me to execute the stunts of the promo of Jailer 2.“
And he got Aavesham because of director Pawan Kumar, reveals Chethan. “I entered the film industry with Pawan sir’s U-Turn (2016). Later, he roped me in for his fourth movie, Dhoomam (2023), which featured Fahadh sir. During the shoot, Fahadh sir was planning his next project, and he introduced me to Jithu Madhavan, the director of Aavesham. That’s how I worked on the movie.”
Chethan D’ Souza with Fahadh Faasil during the filming of ‘Aavesham’. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Chethan says Nelson was impressed with the blend of action and humour in Aavesham. “He has a similar approach to action. The characters retain their unique traits even during the action scenes. The set pieces had a quirky, manic energy, perhaps making them different from what we had seen before.”
Pulling off the action set piece for the first promo of Jailer 2, which featured Nelson, music composer Anirudh, and Rajinikanth, was like passing a litmus test for Chethan. A bigger achievement was breaking the ice with the ‘superstar’ himself, says Chethan.
“Initially, I was hesitant to talk much with Rajini sir. Usually, I speak in Kannada with my team members. I am still learning Tamil. He heard me speak Kannada and sent his assistant to me. He told me Rajini sir wanted to speak with me. I went to Rajini sir, and he asked if I was from Karnataka. I told him, ‘Yes, I am from Mangalore.’ He was very happy to hear that, and continued talking to me in Kannada. He asked me about his journey, my parents, and so on. I can never forget that meeting,” says Chethan.
The action director was fascinated by how Rajinikanth naturally blends style with action. “In any Rajini movie, incorporating style in action sequences is a must. Nelson sir was very clear about what he wanted in this aspect. What’s surprising is that Rajini sir knows exactly what we want. For instance, when we plan a stylish moment with a prop, we tell Rajini sir the kind of impact we want from the scene. We don’t explain too much. When he does the shot, he brings something of his own, often surpassing our expectations. That’s what experience can do.”
Action director Chethan D’ Souza says Rajinikanth was like an open book, agreeing to suggestions made by him. | Photo Credit: RAVICHANDRAN N
The climax fight scene of Jailer thrilled Chethan, giving him a rough idea about what Nelson expects from him in the sequel. “The fights in Jailer were choreographed by Stunt Siva and his son Kevin Kumar, who is my friend. What I loved about the action is how the ‘mass’ moments had proper build-ups. The slow motions worked really well. My favourite was the climax action scene, where a knife flips out of Rajini sir’s gun. I also loved how he slides on a chair and kicks Vinayakan.”
Revisiting Jailer helped Chethan study the film’s visual style and the character staging. Though the film served as a template to choreograph action scenes for the sequel, delivering what Nelson wanted was far from easy for the Bengaluru-based action director.
“His staging was completely different from anything I had experienced so far. His frames are simple. There are no multiple cuts. It’s one single shot, and he mostly keeps it wide. His moments are minimalistic in nature but have maximum impact. My school of action involved plenty of camera movements. But in Nelson’s set pieces, the camera is static. It was challenging for me because when the camera is static, you need to be perfect with your movements. It’s hard to hide your small slip-ups,” he explains.
As an artiste, Rajinikanth was an open book, often ready for suggestions, recollects Chethan. What inspired him more was the superstar’s humility. “If you are egoistic about being a successful artiste who has delivered back-to-back hits, then you will be humbled by just being in his vicinity. He doesn’t have bouncers around him. Be it anybody, he will stand up and talk to them. He will make sure you are an equal. You don’t experience this with many people.”
Chethan was curious how the superstar developed the simplicity that he is praised for. “He told me that God put him in a couple of situations very early in his career where he realised that not everybody enjoys the privilege he has. If he is arrogant about his success, it won’t take much time to lose all the fame he has got. It’s a great life lesson,” he admits.