Director Prem Anand Interview: DD Next Level will bring the pei out of the bungalow

New Indian Express

12-05-2025

Prem Anand attributes his flair in writing to Santhanam, and the works of late author Indira Soundarajan, whom he calls his mentor. "Indira sir has a huge influence on my writing. His works are a reason for me to make my directorial debut with a horror subject. I consult him on supernatural elements. And I give it my Lollu Sabha twist and derive humour from scary situations. Even for DD Next Level, I took his advice at every step. More than the horror, he would also fine-tune spaces that evoke humour. His demise is a personal loss for me. DD Next Level will be a tribute to him," he remarks while calling Syd Field's Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting his manual for screenplay writing. "When I switched from a comedy track writer to a full-fledged screenwriter and director, his book came in handy. I learnt everything necessary for my transition, right from the basic three-act structure to other screenplay devices. You can come up with an interesting line, but it cannot be used if you aren't aware of the structure," he adds.
Discussing the unique set of challenges that come in writing a successful horror comedy, Prem Anand points out that getting stuck in stereotypes can be the biggest issue. "Trying to defy a genre's norms will bring out exciting things. With DD Returns, I wanted to remove the possession, priest and exorcism trope atypical to the genre and create a game-show setup hosted by a ghost family. Despite the innovation, we couldn't resist setting the story against a bungalow backdrop, which is also an overused element. With DD Next Level, we wanted to break free from that as well. So with this film, we are bringing the pei out of the bungalow. Why can't ghosts roam around freely? Why should it be tied to a building? This will give the genre a fresh makeover," says Prem Anand.