Comedian Nirmal Pillai has debuted as a director with ‘Bata Boy and Crocs Girl,’ we catch up with him to find out more

With clean comedy as his forte and a sense of humour that most can relate with, comedian-actor Nirmal Pillai, is carving a space for himself…
Nirmal Pillai
Nirmal Pillai
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7 min read

Nirmal Pillai made his mark on Instagram during the COVID-19 lockdowns, quickly capturing the attention of audiences with his charming and clean comedy. His ability to keep humour light yet impactful has made him a standout among Gen Z — a generation that values being woke and non-toxic. Originally from Chennai, Nirmal now calls Bengaluru home, embracing the city’s vibe while continuing to grow his presence. Recently, he took a significant step in his career by debuting as a director with Bata Boy and Crocs Girl, a self-produced, under-40-minute film that’s currently available for free viewing on YouTube.

The film has already racked up over 8,50,000 views and is on track to hit 1 million views soon. We had the chance to preview the film and were thoroughly impressed with its fresh take on love and relationships, capturing the essence of Bengaluru and Gen Z’s unique perspective. The film is a true tribute to both the city and the generation. For more behind-the-scenes insights from the film, check out the full interview on our YouTube channel, where Nirmal shares the creative journey of bringing his passion project to life.

Excerpts from the interview:

Nirmal Pillai
Nirmal Pillai

How did it feel to debut as a director with Bata Boy and Crocs Girl?

The truth is, I’ve been making films since school, but they’ve all been bad. Extremely bad. They probably belong on the dark web. My first film was called Naanga Kadavul. It was a 40-minute film we made when I was in 9th grade, about Greek gods coming to Chennai — and we were the Greek gods. Keep in mind, at the time, we knew nothing about filmmaking. But that experience sparked our passion for it. I remember we showed it to my math teacher and he made us sit outside the class the next day — it was that bad! Honestly, I’ve always wanted to be a filmmaker, even before I got into stand-up. I’ve been trying ever since. Yes, I kept making films and while each one got progressively better, they were still all equally bad! That’s why, when we finally made a proper film, I felt the need to add, “the first real film,” in the trailer credits.

Nirmal Pillai
Nirmal Pillai

We all, however, know you as a comedian; do tell us about that journey?

I got into stand-up and theatre hoping they would make my entry into the film industry easier. However, at some point, I realised I didn’t have any connections in the industry. At the same time, I noticed comedians like Biswa Kalyan Rath and Sumukhi Suresh getting specials on OTT platforms. That’s when I thought, “If I become a comedian, someone will give me a show.” Well, that didn’t happen. What I learned instead was that having an audience makes it easier to get there. So, I decided to focus on becoming a comedian, but quickly realised that was hard too. I started focusing on building my Instagram audience and that’s when things finally clicked. That’s how it all began.

Nirmal Pillai
Nirmal Pillai

A Chennai boy now a proud Bengalurean, how did this shift happen and why? And how did the film finally come to life?

After experiencing some success on Instagram, I moved to Bengaluru for two reasons. First, I really love the city, even though I grew up in Chennai. At some point, you grow out of a city. I wanted to experience a new one and Bengaluru felt right. It’s like the New York of South India. Everyone gets a job here and lives here during that transitional period of life — after college, before they figure out what they’re going to do. It’s a city full of young people and energy. Coincidentally, all my college friends also ended up here and I wanted to live independently. You really start to learn about yourself when you live on your own. So, I moved here and started familiarising myself with the city. I went on dates, got to know the city and its people and during this time, I hit a creative roadblock. I kept asking myself, “You started this journey to become a filmmaker, so where’s the film?” It made me an insomniac. But all that thinking eventually led to something.

On a flight from Malaysia back to Chennai, after a show, I had nothing to do for the four-hour flight, so I began to write. What came out was the first draft of Bata Boy and Crocs Girl. The script has stayed almost the same since then, of course with multiple edits and added finesse. But the core remained the same because I was living that life then and that’s what the film was meant to be about. Luckily, I was also able to fund the film through online brand deals and content, which allowed me to bring it to life in about two years. And yes, before anyone else says it — I’ll admit it: I am a ‘full on’ sell-out, a capitalist. But at least I’m using it to experience the world around me and create things I truly care about.

Nirmal Pillai
Nirmal Pillai

The film is a beautiful homage to our city, was this planned?

The whole film was planned in the first draft. This was my tribute to Bengaluru. This is my Bengaluru love story! Blossoms and Bob’s Bar were in the plan from the very beginning. I’ve always loved films where the city itself is a character — like Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, where Mumbai is a character in itself, or Woody Allen’s New York in his films. This was my homage to Bengaluru as someone who had just moved here. We tried to represent the city as authentically as possible. For example, there’s a house party scene in the movie and we shot it like it was a real party. Most films shoot house parties in an impersonal way, but I wanted this one to be tastefully done and look ‘broke’ — because, that’s how many of us live. There was no need to recreate what Bengaluru meant to us. The city is already beautiful; we just had to put the camera in the right places and the city did the rest. It always makes its own magic.

Nirmal Pillai
Nirmal Pillai

You’ve also already debuted in films quite a while ago. Three projects if we’re right; do tell us about them?

It was wonderful to debut as an actor with someone I’ve admired for a long time. This was during the heyday of Chennai’s new wave of Tamil cinema and I got to work with Balaji Mohan, one of the four directors really pushing the boundaries of experimentation in Kollywood. I worked with Kalidas Jayaram, Dushara Vijayan, Amala Paul and the main takeaway for me — since I’ve always wanted to be a director — was watching the filmmaking process up close and learning from such experts. I wasn’t qualified to be a director yet and I didn’t want to be an assistant director, but being an actor allowed me to be on set and just observe. I absorbed so much from that experience. It was challenging, yes, because it was my first time in front of the camera, but I think I did okay and learned a lot about filmmaking in general. I really hope that film comes out soon. My second acting experience was with Richard Anthony’s Nizhal Tharum Idham (part of Amazon Prime Video’s Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa anthology). It was so much fun and everyone on set was great. Aishwarya Lekshmi was very sweet and Richard kept trying new things. Honestly, it didn’t feel like normal Tamil cinema; it had more of an indie feel and I got to see that side of things. I’ve also done another film, Oho Enthan Baby, with director Krishnakumar Ramkumar, featuring Rudhra and Mithila Palkar and I hope that releases soon too.

Nirmal Pillai
Nirmal Pillai

And finally, now that you’ve done comedy, acting and also filled the shoes of a director; which role is closest to your heart?

I’ve found my calling. I want to make films. I want to make films that do well at the box office. I want a long career in filmmaking. I really believe in how Malayalam cinema is approaching scripts and still making box-office hits with amazing stories. I really want to make a Malayalam-style film in Tamil and I want to do it with the amazing crew from Bata Boy and Crocs Girl.

Bata Boy and Crocs Girl is now streaming on YouTube.

Email: romal@newindianexpress.com

X: @elromal

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