The world of resorts and professional kitchens is relatively new to the Indian OTT market. Internationally, we have seen shows such as The White Lotus and The Bear, where the resort and kitchen environments play an important role. But in India, this world has rarely been explored in such a detailed and authentic way.

We thought it was a fresh idea. Creating this world was a new experience for everyone involved — the director, writer, cinematographer and the entire team. We knew that we couldn't just shoot in a working resort kitchen because resorts usually do not allow you to use their kitchens for filming. So we had to build one. We spoke to several chefs, visited resorts, explored different locations and researched the environment extensively. We eventually built the kitchen set at Gokulam Studios. Once we had done that, we felt confident that we were on the right track.

Initially, we had no idea how audiences would respond. We didn't know whether people would connect with this world or see themselves in the characters. But we were very confident about the emotional element, especially the character of Vetri. He is an underdog, and we felt strongly that his journey would connect with audiences. The idea was to take this underdog, who dreams of becoming an executive chef, and place him in this very high-end resort environment. That contrast was the starting point. Vijay, who wrote the character of Vetri, was very confident about the writing. He believed the underdog story would work, and that gave us the confidence to enter this world.

Global Villages Production House and Mangesh Babu were extremely important to the success of Resort. Without their support, I don't think the project would have been possible. There were many budget constraints, and I honestly don't know whether another producer would have taken on a project of this scale. The whole team worked incredibly hard. Ultimately, the writer and the director are the people who create the world, but a project like this can only succeed when the production team believes in that vision and supports it. We were fortunate to have that support.

As I mentioned, we had extensive discussions with chefs. We wanted to understand the attitude of professional chefs and the intensity of a commercial kitchen. It can be almost like a military environment. We watched a lot of references and studied how kitchens and food were presented. We even did mock shoots to understand what worked.

We were particularly conscious about how we filmed the food. Food is very important to the audience. When you show something new and interesting, people become curious. They may even want to try cooking it at home. So we paid a lot of attention to those shots. We also had a chef, Joe, with us throughout the kitchen shoots. He guided us on what needed to be done and how the dishes should be prepared. He prepared all the dishes himself. He had a lot of ideas, and Vijay also contributed ideas about the food and the dishes. It was a collaborative effort, and I think that helped the kitchen sequences come alive.

We thought a lot about that. We didn't want to introduce crime simply because it is a familiar element in many web series. So much has already been explored in that space. Our story is about an underdog entering a high-end world. We wanted to stay true to that. One of the things that really surprised me after the series became successful was how much people connected with Nedumaran's character.

I have met many chefs, and after the series ended, I attended an exhibition where several top chefs from star hotels were present. They came up to me and said, ‘We are like Nedumaran.’ They were actually proud of the character. That was a huge success for us because we had captured something authentic. Why are chefs like that? Because food is an emotion. If you present food incorrectly, it can affect the entire experience. A resort or hotel can get a bad reputation because of its food, and there is enormous competition in that industry. So, when you are dealing with food at that level, the chef has to be extremely particular. That is why we made Nedumaran such a strong character.

I have directed a lot of serials, so the difference was significant. Television serials traditionally have a certain style of acting. It can be louder and more expressive. The audience for serials has traditionally included many women and homemakers who may be watching while doing other things around the house. They may not always be looking at the screen, so dialogue, sound and music have to communicate what is happening. That is why serials often have louder performances and music.

But things are changing. Over the past two years, the audience has shifted significantly towards OTT. Even television audiences are changing. People are watching serials on their phones and other devices at different times of the day. So I have also started changing the way I approach television. I am encouraging actors to be more subtle and speak softly. The music also needs to be different.

OTT is very different because you have to treat it more like cinema. There is much more space in the music. You don't have to constantly fill every moment with background music. Sometimes silence is just as important. I learnt a lot while making Resort. I wanted there to be a clear difference in my style — in the lighting, performances, music and overall treatment. My cinematographer Naresh helped me enormously with that, and Vijay also contributed a lot. That difference in style is one of the reasons I am sitting here and talking to you about the show today.

Nedumaran surprised me the most. Vetri is the hero. He is the underdog, so regardless of what happens, the audience naturally wants him to win. But I never expected Nedumaran to become such a talking point. I am surprised by how he has won the audience's hearts despite being the antagonist. Usually, when you watch a serial, the audience treats the villain as a villain. They don't necessarily engage with the character beyond that. But people are enjoying Nedumaran. They are even enjoying seeing him participate in chef competitions.

Pandi's character also surprised me. He is very good at comedy and has won a lot of people's hearts. Not every comedian has that ability, but Pandi has a natural strength in that area.

I wouldn't say I am emotionally attached to any particular character. But there is one thing I have missed in Resort, love. I personally love making romantic scenes and romantic films. I wanted to do something more serious with Resort, and that is what we did. But there isn't a romantic track in the story. Perhaps we will explore that in Season Two.

There will be a major face-off between Nedumaran and Vetri. That is something audiences are really looking forward to. There will also be developments involving Chidambaram, and a new villain will be introduced. I can't reveal the name yet, because that is something the writers are keeping under wraps. There is definitely a lot to look forward to in the new season. We are planning to begin shooting in December, and Season Two is expected to release in February.

Yes. I am working on two OTT projects. One is a crime series and the other is a romantic comedy. Both are currently being scripted. Most probably, we will begin shooting either after Resort or in between the schedules for Resort.