Love triangles are never easy – especially when there’s a murder involved. The Perfect Murder (Chandirramani, 2019) tells the story of Kabir (Rohan Gandotra), his wife Neha (Samvedna Suwalka), and his lover Carol (Niharica Raizada). I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the writer, director, producer, and editor of The Perfect Murder, Vikkramm Chandirramani.
Miranda Sprouse: Tell us about your short film, The Perfect Murder.
Vikkramm Chandirramani: The Perfect Murder is an eighteen-minute urban crime drama. It crossed 1.5 million views on YouTube earlier this week. It has been very well received. I was awarded Best Director of a Short Foreign Language Film at the South Europe International Film Festival, held in Valencia, Spain, on May 12. I had attended the festival to receive the award. It was also awarded Best Dramatic Film at the NCCC Film and Animation Festival, held in Buffalo, NY, by the Niagara County Community College. Additionally, it was screened at the Ninth Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival, New Jersey, and the Sixth Firenze FilmCorti Film Festival held in Florence, Italy.
I was in Valencia, Spain, for the South Europe International Film Festival and it was a fantastic experience. There were filmmakers from all over – from the US, Bulgaria, London, Japan, and so many countries. They had an eclectic pick of films and the energy was amazing. What makes it even more delightful is when people who do not understand Hindi or who have never seen a Bollywood film connect to my films. They screened my film twice because some people who had not seen it the first time requested it. The festival’s director Steve Grossmith is a film connoisseur. It was overall a very memorable trip.
MS: What challenge(s) did you face while filming The Perfect Murder?
VC: The Perfect Murder was shot over a period of two days at Madh Island, Mumbai. I had written the complete shooting script before I sent out audition calls. While the auditions continued, I did a recce and finalized a mansion at Madh Island where we shot most of the film. A lot of the crew that worked with me was the same as on my previous short film Destiny. The cinematographer, Suman Dutta, associated with me for the first time and did a good job. The actors were professional and we had rehearsed well. So it went smoothly. Everyone on my set is usually on the same page with respect to the script, the shooting schedule, costumes, and the order of shooting. Planning ensures that the shoot goes well and stays within the time and budget. There were no specific challenges that I can recount. In the past, it was a challenge to get an audience online for a short film. Now it has become easier with the proliferation of internet access in India and with people liking the short film format. My last film Destiny clocked over 5.2 million views and did very well in film festivals. So there were people looking forward to my next. That also helped get the word out. We have already crossed a million views with The Perfect Murder.
MS: You said that people enjoy the short film style and it has become easier to access these films due to the increase in internet accessibility. Do you think that your future projects will be created for online audiences?
VC: Almost certainly any project that I work on will find its way online. In these times, even the biggest of films are eventually made available online and on OTT apps [OTT means over-the-top, which is an app that provides a product over the internet]. I may also make something specifically for online audiences.
MS: You said that a lot of your influences came from literature because of your varied reading. How did that inspire your filmmaking style?
VC: My father, Mohan Deep Chandiramani, was a prolific author and his influence led to my love for reading. I grew up reading a lot of literature and watched varied cinema. My sensibilities have been largely shaped by that. Among authors of literature, I like O. Henry’s style of having a twist at the end and you will find this in my short films. Hemingway believed in cutting all the flab when writing. He made every effort to consciously avoid flowery language and verbose descriptions. I see him as the literary parallel to Alfred Hitchcock, who was as good with editing his films. On similar lines, you will find that my films do not have inessential scenes.
MS: In an interview with TimesNowNews, Samvedna Suwalka (who plays Neha) said that her character and the other two leads (Kabir and Carol) are “extremely flawed.” Do their flaws help the audience to connect with them? Who do you feel the audience connects with the most? Why?
VC: Flawed characters make interesting stories. Everyone is flawed in some way, some more than others. The audience may have connected with different characters at different points in the film. I’ve had people tell me they were very sympathetic to Kabir’s character in the opening scene. Then they switched sides when he started plotting to commit murder. Toward the end, most are sympathetic to Neha. I prefer that, when performing, actors do not get judgmental about the character they are playing and this is how I direct them. Everyone in real life usually feels fully justified about their own behavior and goals and, even for the darkest characters, that sense of conviction is very important. We are all the protagonists in our respective lives.
MS: Reviews from The Independent Critic, 22 Indie Street, and ScreenCritix seemed to have enjoyed the plot twist at the end. Would you consider the ending to be more “satisfying” (22 Indie Street) or “ambiguous” (ScreenCritix)? Why?
VC: The fade out that you see at the end hints at Kabir’s death. We still hear a bit of dialogue after the screen goes dark because human beings retain their sense of hearing longer than their sight moments before they die. The ending is satisfying if you’re baying for Kabir’s blood. It is ambiguous if you presume that maybe the doctor reached Kabir and he was revived.
MS: The Perfect Murder is approximately eighteen minutes long. Could you see this film having a longer screening time? Do you think there is more story to tell? Why or why not?
VC: There have been many people who have told me The Perfect Murder could have been a feature. However, I would rather make a tightly edited, fast-paced, thrilling short film out of it than a verbose feature. I have other stories which I can turn into features and web series and I’m in talks for them.
MS: How did filming The Perfect Murder, a crime drama, compare to filming Destiny, a romantic comedy that you directed in 2018?
VC: Destiny was shot over a period of three days while The Perfect Murder was shot over two days. Technically, The Perfect Murder was several steps ahead of Destiny. We shot it with a RED camera unlike Destiny, which was shot with a DSLR. We also outsourced color correction and grading to a professional studio, something which was earlier handled in house. We spent money on getting an original music score instead of opting for stock music. Production design and location costs were also higher. We hired a mansion at Madh Island for two days. The commitment of my crew was similar. Our pre-production is usually meticulous, which goes a long way in ensuring everything goes smoothly on set.
MS: What do you hope that viewers will take away from The Perfect Murder? What do you want them to remember most?
VC: With every creative effort, whether a film, book, poem, or painting, what each person takes away from it will vary with their own sensibilities and convictions. This is something I leave to the viewer.
MS: What’s next for you?
VC: I have several scripts including a web series and a feature that I’m developing. I’m not sure which one I will start next. Many artists here have been expressing a keenness to work with me.
Additional Film Matters works involving Vikkramm Chandirramani include:
The Perfect Murder is available for streaming on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpyPObu1y2A.
Author Biography
Miranda Sprouse is an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She is majoring in film studies and earning a certificate in professional writing. Miranda enjoys watching movies, screenwriting, and film analysis. She hopes to have a future career that combines her passions for writing and film.
