Parajanov is special to me: Tarsem Singh meets fans within the framework of Golden Apricot

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS.  Indian-American director Tarsem Singh, best known to the Armenian audience as the author of the music video for Lady Gaga’s song “911” inspired by Parajanov aesthetics, is the chairman of the Golden Apricot International Film Festival’s “Regional Panorama” competition program.

The director, who is considered Parajanov's ambassador to the world, met with fans on July 12 within the framework of the festival.

Singh was born in India, and then moved to the United States, where he received education as designer.

“I prefer storytelling over filmmaking. Visual storytelling has always been paramount in my work. Reflecting on his 2006 film "The Fall," Singh shared that he initially intended it to be his debut but found earlier success with "The Cell," which garnered widespread attention. "I've traveled to 28 countries, and filmmaking has always been on my mind," he added. 

"I waited six years to bring 'The Fall' to life. I wanted to feel and convey the right atmosphere. Initially, I didn't have a script, I had a guide, and no producer wanted to support me because of the lack of a script.

I allowed myself to do all the wrong things with the film, for which all the producers would have just hanged me. When I finished it, the critics hated the movie, nobody wanted to do anything for free for the movie. I waited another two years, made investments, and people watched the film, and twenty years later it will be remade, it will be corrected," said Singh. He added that the critics who did not accept the film are no longer around, and the new generation looks at things differently.

The main protagonist of the film "The Fall" is a six-year-old girl. Singh believes that it's possible to bully everyone except the child because in reality, the child dictates what to do. "I used to tell her stories, situations. It is an advantage when you don't shoot in a studio, you don't have a clear agenda. Taking care of the characters is a priority for me, and the girl did everything right, gave the right responses. What could have been a problem during shooting turned into an advantage," said the director, who is pleased that many people in Armenia have watched the film. Singh considers the child's accent to be the key to the film's success and notes that Americans prefer everything straightforward, so they did not adapt to that accent, but the world accepted it.

The film features Beethoven's music, which Singh considers magical. Many aspects of the movie were altered—scenes were cut and edited—but they did not touch the music.

Many people in Armenia became familiar with Tarsem Singh's art after Lady Gaga's "911" , which reflects the spirit of Parajanov.

 "I really admire the styles of Sergey Parajanov and Andrei Tarkovsky. They have had a profound influence on me. Photographers often say that when you want to convey depth, you should turn to Tarkovsky, but Parajanov does something that photographers would not recommend. He already knows that depth and depicts it uniquely. He is truly special. I watched all of his films when I was a student," emphasized the director.