29 Nov : Working with a 3000 kg ‘person’ was a humbling experience, it was sheer love and of course ‘jaggary’ said Prroshanth the lead actor of ‘The White Elephant’. The Director Aijaz Khan also said that the Elephant ‘Devidutt’ insisted on being selected for the role by putting his trunk on the director’s shoulder. “Devidutt was the baby of the unit and everyone bowed to his mood…in fact every actor had to audition with the elephant” added an amused Aijaz.
On a more serious note Aijaz added that the film deals with the beliefs of the characters but it leaves the question of faith and superstition open ended by not forcing anything on the audience. The White Elephant should be taken as a fable, he insisted. On the look of the movie he said that it was deliberate to keep the film free of visual and technical gimmicks. It is a story how one changes in the face of new responsibilities, added the director.
Actress Tannishtha Chatterjee said that her career has developed in a very eclectic way and she has done films in many languages, settings and in many countries. This has widened my vision and I prefer that kind of existence said the actress who is doing projects from regional to national to international and with the likes of Martin Sheen, Kal Pen and Dev Benegal.
In the Panorama booklet Director Aijaz Khan has said “my intention in making this film is to pull out of these mystical stories from the heart of Kerala…..land of gods and holy elephants. I have shot this film in a small village. Ottappalam in Kerala, where it was very picturesque. The story is told in a very simple manner”.