Hey! Ram is another period film and one of my all-time favourites. Everyone said I would win a National Award for the film but unfortunately I did not.

"Before I did the art direction of Hey! Ram, I did Marudanayagam, which was Kamal Haasan's pet project. We had done a lot of research and recreated cannons and guns, which are still there in Jaipur. In fact, I was sent to London to do research.

"Unfortunately, Haasan didn't have enough money to continue the project. I don't know when he will start the project again, but I am sure he will do it one day.

"When he couldn't continue, Haasan decided to start Hey! Ram. Most of the story took place in Kolkata. I recreated the Kolkata streets and made trams with Ambassador car engines in Chennai. I also had to recreate the railway coaches and engines of that period.

"Then, I had to recreate Maharashtra in Chennai. It may sound funny, but I converted the same room from an airport to a club. I had lived in an English-style bungalow at a tea estate as a young boy because my father worked there. Those memories helped me recreate similar houses for the British in Hey! Ram."

In the picture: Sabu Cyril's work in Hey! Ram.