Around 60 people gathered on a rainy Saturday, for a tour and talk of Prasad Studio organized by the Namma Arcot Road team. Mr Hariharan the award winning movie maker and Director of the L.V. Prasad film & TV Acdemy graciously hosted the event as he walked the crowd through the various stages and aspects involved in the process of making a movie. 
First, was a visit to the sophisticated state-of-the art sound recording theatre. Recalling how great actors like Sivaji could dub with little effort, Hariharan pointed the technological changes the process of sound recording, dubbing and editing had undergone. Using a film clipping, Hariharan showed how today editing was done on digital film composers, and mixing a film in Dolby Digital/DTS.
Next was a visit to the shooting floors where props are set and movies are made. Pointing to the studio high ceiling with bars that ran across for cameras and lighting, Hariharan showed how light is manipulated to project day and night shots. This was followed by walk through one of the sets representing a typical home that could easily be transformed into a hotel room, a bar or whatever imagination wanted. The antique old projectors that cinema halls used to project movies, the old movie cameras vs the current digital cameras, the old film roll of one of L.V. Prasad’s Kamal movie all showcased the development of movie making over the years.
After a short break with tea and snacks, everyone gathered at the auditorium where Mr Srinivasan, the current GM who also has been with the studio for over 35 years, reminisced about the early days of Prasad Studio. The stories of there being only one restaurant/hotel in the neighborhood that everyone from Mrinal Sen to the local film technicians frequented made people laugh.
Hariharan pointed out that while the Bombay movie industry was strictly making Hindi movies, the studios of Madras were the only ones making national movies, in different languages. Highlighting the role and contribution of L.V.Prasad to the world of movies, Hariharan also talked of how humbling it was to share the stage with this icon of the movie world when he (Mr Hariharan) received the national award for the movie ‘Ezhavathu Manidhan’ on the same day Mr Prasad was bestowed the Dada Saheb Phalke Award. The most amazing thing about L.V.Prasad, according to Mr Hariaharan, was not only the humility with which he interacted with everyone but also his desire to give back to the movie world. After the success of ‘Ek Duje keliye’rather than resting on his laurels in luxury, he preferred to use the profits to set up the only 70 mm theatre hall of its kind. Since L.V.Prasad could not study beyond high school, his son Ramesh Prasad decided to start the The LV Prasad Film and TV Institute ten years after the passing of his father. As a fitting tribute to L.V.Prasad institute, this year the short film, ‘The Post Man’directed by B. Manoahr a student of the academy received the national award for the best non feature film. The evening ended with the screening of the last interview with Mr L.V.Prasad and the movie ‘The Post Man.’
Namma Arcot Road will continue to hold events every last Saturday of the month. Join us on Saturday November 27 for a Musical night with Lakshman Sruthi Orchestra. For venue and other details stay logged in.
NAMMA ARCOT ROAD 