Prasanth has invested three years of time and effort to realise his vision for HanuMan and the journey wasn’t completely smooth, especially as the team inched closer to the release, with the lack of screens being a challenge. Was it difficult to accept the fact that his art, at the end of the day, is a product? “ I don’t usually attach myself to my work and treat it as some great art or something. I do care about the film and for me, the most important part of the process is the making. Once it’s done, it’s in the producer’s and distributor’s hand. So the business side of things is taken care of by them.”
Prasanth is also candid about the challenging behind-the-scenes moments prior to release. “In my previous films, I have had situations where I treated every process like it was my baby and I used to be sensitive about every facet of the film’s release and the kind of audience that it would find. I was very much invested in the post-production works of my previous films and also knew that no matter how hard I tried, things wouldn’t be under my control at some point. You cannot decide your release date and which theatre the film will find its way to. Ultimately, it will be treated like a product only. I give my two hundred percent for the film but once it’s delivered, the final film is referred to as a ‘copy’; it’s not even being called a film these days. It’s just a file. So it’s better to make the film that you want to make and stand your ground.”
Prasanth says he has been actively working on making things easier for himself in the release decisions. “I’ve stated in my agreement that producers can decide the release date only after I deliver the finished product. This is the first thing I tell any producer. For instance, I can’t work towards a Sankranthi release. Please let me finish my work, and only then I will get to know when I will be able to get the film ready. That’s the only way it will work for me. I cannot work according to the release date.”