In 1999, a 29-year-old filmmaker – born in Mahe, Puducherry to two doctors: a Malayali father and a Tamilian mother – suddenly emerged as Hollywood’s most exciting talent. A wildcard he hadn’t seen in years, as A-listers all over town clamored to work with him… all because of one line of dialogue.
“I see dead people.”
And with those iconic words spoken by Haley Joel Osment the sixth Sense, Manoj Nelliyattu ‘M Night’ Shyamalan had well and truly arrived. In fact, he was always going to be a star, right from the time he made nearly 50 home movies as a precocious teen or when he made his first film, the semi-autobiographical drama praying with anger (perhaps his most underestimated blow) while at New York University (NYU).
Very soon, the Indian-American established herself as one of the leading cinematic voices of her generation – especially in the horror/thriller genre – with films like symptoms, Village And of course, the legendary Estraile 177 Trilogy ( unbreakable, split And glass) which earned him an international fan following and success.
M. Night Shyamalan Presents His Next Feature Film ‘Knock at the Cabin’ | photo credit: Ethan Miller
There have been misfires, and high-profile ones at that – lady in the water And the last AirbenderFor example – but Shyamalan’s greatest strength was his willingness to experiment, and vocally so, so he kept coming back.
Three years ago, he started serving as show runner on Servant (created by Tony Basgalop), a psychological horror series up his alley that has since emerged as one of his biggest coups. Starring actors Lauren Ambrose, Nell Tiger Free, Rupert Grint and Toby Kebbel, the show is an amalgamation of “a gothic novel, a black comedy and an allegorical drama laced with supernatural suspense” which is now in its fourth and final season following a young enters. A grieving couple after a tragedy threatens to derail their marriage, while a mysterious force enters their home.
Up next, he also has an apocalyptic horror film knock on the cabin – A family of three vacationing in a remote cabin are suddenly held hostage by four strangers – including Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Rupert Grint (who also happens to be a Shyamalan favorite). are going).
Speaking to us over a Zoom video call, Shyamalan joins us in an exclusive interview to discuss the ending of the Apple TV+ show, how his daughter Ishana might follow in his footsteps, and his legacy as a filmmaker. Missing
Excerpts from an interview:
When you have a show like ‘Servant’ that is a critical and commercial success, and not a finite story, how do you decide to end it? Especially when you have the support of fans and a streaming platform that wants to finance the project?
This is a really great question, and I have a complicated answer. I like this format, but one of its drawbacks is that you keep telling the story until people get tired of it, and then it will naturally die.
A scene from ‘Sevak’
It (the project) will go away because you just keep trying to tell the same story, and we didn’t want that. I always knew when I started with Apple it was going to end Servant, be it three or five or six seasons. It was very important to me that we finished the story and were aiming for something.
Is it difficult for a filmmaker accustomed to making big-budget movies for the screen to balance those aspirations with such long-running shows?
Because I also make films, it is difficult for me to do both at the same time. It is not easy finding time during evenings and weekends trying to make this work. I’m taking every step you hear on the screen and mixing it with the mixer, and saying ‘no, a little faster, a little softer’ on each note of the score.
I am doing that. It is not something that I hand over. So it’s a very time consuming process, but I believe those hundreds of small decisions are felt by the people watching. So when I’m committed to the story that we’re telling, it’s hard to do for so long.
A scene from ‘Sevak’
It takes two years to make a film. I am such a different person at the end of two years! I am ready to tell a different story. It was four to five years of working on the show, and I really liked it, but it came to a point where I was wondering where the story would go. So I let the characters tell me when the story ended for them.
But of course, everyone on my team and at Apple was like, ‘Come on, what are we doing? Let’s go, keep going!’ And we would have – if I hadn’t gotten tired or I’d thought about it systematically. If I didn’t decide to do another season for the right reasons, the story wouldn’t work, and you would be able to tell; I don’t think I would be able to live with myself if I did.
It’s been three decades since your debut film – ‘Praying With Anger’ came out in 1992 – and since then, you’ve evolved from that maverick talent in Hollywood to the pre-eminent Indian filmmaker on the global stage. How do you look back on the last 30 years?
It is very interesting that it has been 30 years since my first film. Over the years, the United States and other countries around the world have acknowledged me in different ways. USA treated me as its own because I lived there. Other countries see me as an immigrant who came to the United States and became successful. So when I go to Spain, Mexico or Japan, they embrace me for that aspect, as well as for my cinematic style which is influenced by European or even Japanese or Korean cinema.
Shyamalan directing Abigail Breslin in ‘Signs’ (2002)
When you look at my films the aesthetic isn’t exactly 100 percent American; They’re driven in a different way, and their interests are a little different. So you could say it’s a global voice telling these stories, and it’s had appeal and resonance for 30 years.
Do you have any idea why there are no other Indian filmmakers in Hollywood who have followed you and made an impact?
I’m surprised there aren’t a lot more people – from the kind of background I am – who have grown up and started telling stories to the world. I’m not sure why. Maybe because the filmmaking community in India is so strong, that if you’re from India, you keep making films there? I’m not sure.
But maybe, the next generation has already come to take that position. Your daughter Ishana assisted you in the thriller ‘Old’, and also directed the ‘Servant’ episodes…
I’m obviously biased when we talk about Ishana, but I believe she is someone you and I will be talking to five to eight years from now. She will be a great storyteller the world has known. She grew up in a household of the arts, and that kind of mix of cultures and viewpoints as well, but is a woman. So an additional uniqueness and beauty will come in his voice.
M. Night Shyamalan, center, and daughters Saleeka Shyamalan, left, and Ishani Shyamalan attend the Apple+ TV ‘Servant’ Season 4 premiere | photo credit: Ivan Agostini
Rupert Grint has been one of the stars of ‘Servant’; The series has really been a comeback of sorts for him since he played Ron Weasley in the ‘Harry Potter’ movies. Now you have also cast him in your next horror project ‘Knock at the Cabin’. I came across an earlier interview in which you referred to him as a “unicorn”. Can you talk about this equation?
Rupert is absolutely fabulous. you know, there were some things going on about me harry potter movie back in the day ( Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone before Chris Columbus took over). So I met Rupert when he was just a kid, and now to have the chance to work with him as an adult is such a pleasure, both Servant And Knock on the cabin.
He’s the kindest person, so professional, and he’s really found his voice as an adult actor now. When I say he’s a unicorn, what I mean is that he has this wicked sense of humor, and access to pathos—very pure, almost childlike—that is at the heart of most comedies. It’s amazing when I prompt her; It’s like when I direct a child, it’s right in their face. She is an amazingly pure soul and that comes through on screen. I love directing him and he is an entertainer. It has been a wonderful thing to bring her into the family and I would love to work with her again.
Season four of Servant is currently streaming on Apple TV+ and Knock at the Cabin releases in theaters February 3rd