Decoding 'The Chronicles': From Script to Screen with Krishand

I am a naturally relaxed person; I've been this way for a long time. I don’t get angry, but when a task requires it, I become very firm. I don't shout, but I make sure to communicate exactly what's in my head. I'll say, "This problem happened because you didn’t do this. So please take care of it. Have all the fun you want while you work, but if it's just fun, it won't work." The atmosphere on set is a reflection of how the director and the director of photography (DOP) communicate with the crew. I make it a point not to lose my cool. I set the tone for how I want the entire crew to work in the first few days, and they follow it for the next 60 days.

I don't think they would have. That's exactly what all the platforms told me. They said, "We don't have anything like this in Malayalam, and the audience won't like it." So I feel it wouldn't have been accepted 10 years ago. I started pitching the idea back in 2015. But my belief is that you can’t know if there's a market for something until you make it and offer it. So I tried to convince everyone to make the series and give it a shot. Platforms make decisions based on viewership data and market research, but as a creator, I want to try new things.

I was very particular about avoiding obscene words. They might sound like a slur, but they aren't. In a couple of scenes, a character used swear words, and I had asked my team to remove them. Due to some miscommunication on my part, it didn’t happen, and I regret it. I always think, "What if my two-year-old daughter picks up a swear word and uses it somewhere?" So I try my best to avoid them. Generally, there's a specific "Standards & Practices" protocol from the streaming platforms, which is the main source of information on censorship. The S&P team of most platforms controls this.

I feel the best way to watch it is to see the first two episodes, take a break, then watch the next two and take another break, and finally watch the fifth and sixth episodes. If you binge-watch the whole thing, by the fifth episode, everything becomes white noise. So, it's better to watch it with breaks and absorb everything. In the big fight scene, the crowd scenes were shot separately in shorter and larger sections because the expenditure shot up. So there might be some minor continuity issues you noticed. But I was sure the emotional scene at the end would resonate with people. The first 15 minutes of the fifth episode might feel like 40 because it delves into Arikuttan's problems and more. But from the 15th to the 55th minute, from the moment we introduce "Pookada Valsan," the momentum explodes. We designed different paces for each episode—a slow burn followed by a faster, louder, and more intense sequence.

I believe there's a consumer for every type of media. There's a lot of gangster content available now, especially from filmmakers like Guy Ritchie and Anurag Kashyap, and British gangster series like 'Layer Cake.' I enjoy that genre and know many people who do as well. As a creator, you have to work on a project for a minimum of a year, so I prefer to choose a subject that I truly love. Also, when you create for an OTT platform, you have to think about paid subscriptions. So if a platform has commissioned a series, I'm not worried about it capturing every single subscriber. It's perfectly fine if it caters to a specific, passionate audience.

In cinema, you can convey a lot without explicitly showing it. I enjoy that challenge. For instance, in the scene where Senthil assaults Kingini, I could have shown it explicitly, but I crafted it in a way that effectively conveys the action. I want to communicate violence responsibly. Celebrating gore and blood is a genre in itself; I'm not saying it's right or wrong. But in this particular series, I chose not to. It can be very disturbing for some people, and I understand that. It's not that I don’t want to create uncomfortable scenes; I just prefer to do so in a way that makes the viewer feel a certain way without being overly graphic.

I usually prefer one-line intros. I don't put all the details in the screenplay, but I have a diary where I write interesting things and read them to the actor. For the character 'Pyelakuttan,' there are some older men you see in certain town squares who sit and drink in the afternoon. I told the actor to incorporate a physical deformity—that's a Kurosawa idea that I borrowed. Even from a wide angle, you can immediately understand who this character is because of that specific disability. He says, "Brother, I'm hunchbacked" in one scene, and I added that later for humor. So, a character is created as we go along.

We were originally supposed to use clips from Vijay's movies and cast an actor from Trivandrum to be like him. A talented actor was supposed to play the role, but it didn't work out. We couldn't get the copyrights for the clips, and that's when my chief associate suggested I try it. He joked that it was because I was readily available on set. When I pitched the idea to SonyLIV, they were happy about it. And yes, he’ll be in Season 2 as well!

Well, for instance, for the character 'Pyelakuttan,' my first choice was another actor. But after working with Vishnu in 'Sangharsham,' I realized he was perfect for this role because it’s a tricky character that has both good and evil elements. You get a feeling that Pyelakkuttan will eventually do something crazy in a bad way. Vishnu is a great actor, and we could mix all those elements into his performance. For Maniyan, I had worked with Shambhu before and knew this role would suit him. When I worked with Darshana in 'Purushapretham,' I realized we could collaborate and explore more complex characters together.

For every film, it's a 50-50 split between people I've worked with before and new actors. It’s a lot like working with a band. When you practice more, and one person starts to improvise, the others know how to follow along. I believe that when you work with an actor more often, you discover they can do so much more. I realize this as a director, and the actor also finds themselves exploring new depths. It’s very challenging and interesting. For the 'sneeze song,' for example, synchronized movements were required from everyone who sneezed. It definitely helps to work with people you already have a rapport with.

Almost everyone will be there in Season 2 as well. We will show how SI Suresh was killed, reveal more about Maniyan's life, and explain how Altaf lost his leg and ended up in Mumbai. There will be more, but I don't want to give away any spoilers. Just imagine why Arikuttan wants to write his own story! (laughs)

I don't follow that "flow" method. I write a synopsis, then I spend one to two months thinking about the order in which everything needs to be shown and other aspects. After that, I can finish the full script in just a few days.

The story is told from Arikuttan's point of view. It's mainly about the gang, which is why the female characters associated with them have limited screen time. If you look at crime across different regions, female mafia queens are rare. In Trivandrum, there was only one main gangster woman. You'll notice that even Vijayaraghavan's character has limited time. Darshana's character emerges victorious by the end, and the series concludes by showing how the gang almost failed and the other team won. I generally just follow the demands of the story.

I believe that skill comes from my background in communication design. My most important skill is not just in telling a story, but in telling a story in a way that makes people feel a certain way. I studied communication design and later taught it at IIT Bombay. The core skill is to take complicated material and present it in a simple, yet effective way. Sometimes it’s like designing a work of art.

Essentially, it's about converting complicated materials into simpler things. In this series, we explored the ecosystem of crime. It's also about exploring various aspects of a social commentary and presenting it to the audience in a captivating way. For example, Arikuttan's social standards are not commendable, but we present him with other aspects as well, making him a complex character.

'Purushapretham' is non-linear only for the first eight minutes. 'Art of War' is linear. In this series, the writing style is like writing a saga. I attended a course on how to write like a saga in 2016. It's called the Norwegian structure. Mahabharata is similar to that structure. In a saga, you can’t stick to a linear narrative because you need to jump between various situations. To make it coherent, you bring in a narrator or a specific event to tie everything together. Non-linear storytelling is better in that case. I like changing timelines; I find it challenging because you're either breaking a form or creating a new one, or breaking a temporal idea. You get to play with the mind of the viewer. I find that very exciting. A simple conversation between two people over a table can be made into a series. 'Vrithakrithi' is a linear film, while 'Sangharsham' has some non-linear elements.

Let's really hope so. (smiles) Fingers crossed.

I like to explore the poetry in rain and other natural elements. Kurosawa uses such elements in his movies. With elements like these, the tension between characters is elevated, and it's beautiful to watch. James Cameron also uses natural elements, which I admire. These elements aren't static; they provide continuous movement that enhances the scene.

Honestly, I don't know. I keep all my trophies safely at home. I can't be the one to measure if I’ve changed internally. Of course, I'm happy when I get awards, and they come with certain privileges. I also truly appreciate the genuine jury system and awards at the IFFK.

I think sci-fi movies are better received by Gen Z than other age groups. But if they're going to download and watch, then I don't know (laughs). Sci-fi has definitely been growing into a culture since the '80s. We need to create more sci-fi material so different kinds of people can see it. For example, 'Lokah' is being watched by all kinds of people, not just those who watch Marvel films. We only know that because 'Lokah' was made, right?

It's an adaptation of a book into a gangster story. I initially thought of a Malayalam narrative, but imagine a Malayalam hero speaking with an American accent! You will see a mix of forms because some elements are experimental. You'll understand it better once the movie is released. Since I'm producing it, I have more freedom to experiment, don't I?

I am more of a nihilist. After reading J. Krishnamurti and 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,' I have a bit of a theosophical nature as well.