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Both
Bala and Ameer singled him out as an assistant director who
stood out and showed promise. Making his debut with Subramaniapuram,
a movie praised for the way it authentically resurrects Madurai
in the 80s, Sasi beat every other director at Kollywood by
introducing the first promo video for a movie.
Such is his cool confidence that though the song and the video
was a hit, he refused to use it in the movie. “Stars
do not make a movie, he declares here boldly, “they
only bring the audience to the theatre. Once inside the hall,
it is the script and the director’s skill that holds
the audience’s attention”. Behindwoods found it
a pleasure to talk to a filmmaker whose answers were honest,
always interesting, and very insightful. |
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STARS
BRING THE AUDIENCE, A DIRECTOR MAKES THEM SIT THERE |
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BW:
Tell us about yourself, your life and journey to cinema
before Subramaniapuram happened.
I
am basically from Puthuthamaraipetti, a small village in Madurai.
My grandparents used to be a farmer and my parents still live
in Madurai where my family has many small and different trades.
But I spent most of my childhood years at the St.Peter’s
boarding school in Kodaikkanal. My college days, however,
were spent in Madurai, doing my bachelor degree in business
administration. My entry into cinema was through my uncle
Kandasaamy who was the producer of Sethu. It was through him
that I met my mentor Bala and joined as an assistant on the
sets of Sethu where Ameer was one of the assistants. So, I
got to know Ameer and assisted him in Mounam Pesiyadhe and
Ram. It was during the initial phases of Paruthiveeran that
I began the groundwork for my debut, and thus had to leave
Ameer.
Why
a photo of Va Vu Chidambaram in the movie?
Not really. The photo of Va Vu Chidambaram does appear but
it doesn’t have any special significance. It could
have been anyone else…. R.D.Burman or Mahatma Gandhi.
There is nothing to be read into Va Vu Chidambaram’s
photo appearing in the movie, no statement on any issue
is intended.
What
was your inspiration to go in for novel techniques?
Well,
I am not quite sure where it came from but I found it necessary
when I was writing the script. Introducing 5 or 6 separate
characters to the audience in a sequence may lead to boredom
and I wanted to do it in a way that would captivate the
audience, hence the smooth transitions at unexpected and
unusual points. It might have come from my mentors or from
some movie that I have seen earlier.
Why
did you choose to produce the film yourself?
I was making my debut with Subramaniapuram, so obviously
it would have been difficult to get the confidence of
a producer right away. Secondly, the subject I had in
hand was a period drama which is generally conceived to
cost more in production and finally I planned to cast
new faces, barring a couple. All these factors put together
would have turned off a producer who would tend to look
at the business side of things. So, I decided to take
it upon myself to make the movie.
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How
were you able to recreate the entire 80s Madurai
ambience so well?
This
was the first thing that I did when I planned Subramaniapuram.
I started collecting old photos, banners, boards of
shops and looked into them, found the style of writing
of that period. I searched the Internet a lot for
photos of the 80s. I also looked into the wedding
photo albums of the 80s, especially the photos where
the wedding party walked along the streets, which
gave me a clear picture of how the roads looked like,
the kind of vehicles one would have seen and all that.
We pieced all this together to get the 80s feel. |
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“I
started collecting old wedding photos, banners,
boards of shops to recreate a 80s Madurai.”
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“One
thing that I don’t like about Ameer is how stubborn
he can get about things, and how stingy he is with
compliments.”
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One thing that you do not like about Ameer?
That’s
a difficult one. (Pauses). One thing that I don’t
like at times is about how stubborn he can get about
things. But it is this habit of his that has got me
to the position that I am in today. It is from him
that I learnt where and how to put your foot down
on certain issues to ensure that things go exactly
the way you want them to. Another thing that I remember
is just how stingy he can be with compliments. In
all the years that I have been with him, he has never
acknowledged a good effort with a pat on the back,
but he is prompt to point out mistakes. But that,
too, in a way has helped me deal with success with
a level head. The only time that he has praised me
is during the audio release of my movie. He had not
spoken a word of it to me before that but his words
during the function felt like an award for me. He
was also very generous with his praise after seeing
the movie.
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One
thing that you like about Bala
He
is a man of few words, he observes, makes movies and
lets them speak for him. His movies may appear rough
but he is a calm man. Another thing that I love about
him is the genuine appreciation that he gives. After
watching my movie he was heartfelt in his words of
appreciation, there was no senior-junior ego anywhere.
It came from within and I felt it. |
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“Bala
is a man of few words, he observes, makes movies
and lets them speak for him.”
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“James
Vasanthan was my music teacher in high school and
I told him one day I’ll make him a music composer.”
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Why did you choose James Vasanthan when you had so
many other options?
I
being a newcomer felt a bit apprehensive to approach
an established music director. I was not sure whether
they would listen to me and give me what I wanted.
I have known James Vasanthan for a long time, he was
my music teacher in school. I have often quipped that
I would make him a music director when I made a film.
He wanted to become a composer long before but this
is how things turned out finally. Most importantly,
the both of us shared vibes, we were able to communicate.
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What’s
your take on film critics, especially those who
give marks for movies? Are they fair?
If
the audience likes a movie then nothing can stop it
from becoming a hit, nothing else matters.
Did
the censors snip off any portion of the movie?
Indeed,
some of the violent scenes, especially the scene where
the head is chopped off. The censors were particularly
harsh on this scene, cutting off a good portion of
it. But it is that scene that the audience seems to
be connecting to. |
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“If
the audience likes a movie, then critics can’t
stop it from becoming a hit”
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Doesn’t screen violence propagate aggression, especially
amongst youngsters? I
am not sure about other movies, but I can tell you that my
movie will certainly not have that influence. I have shown
the consequences of being violent. Even rowdies of Madurai
have come to me after watching the film and told me that the
movie shows exactly how they got trapped in the web of violence.
We have shed light on the dark lives of the young people caught
up in violence.
You
shot an expensive and stylish promo song. Why didn’t
you use it in the movie?
The
promo song was made exactly for that purpose- promotion only.
We did not intend to use it in the movie, even after it became
quite a hit. This is the first time in Tamil cinema that a
song has been shot exclusively for promotion. The song is
totally disconnected from the movie. It has a far more contemporary
look, a snazzy feel that will rob the movie of its flow. That’s
why I did not use it, even in the end credits.
Will
films grounded in reality always succeed?
Definitely,
there are no two ways about that. Films that deal with human
emotions can always connect to the audience and will always
succeed.
What
made Bala and Ameer say they felt good seeing you first thing
in the morning?
This
happened during the days of Sethu. I was very young then and
had a lot of good habits like getting up early. I used to
take my bath, smear sandal paste across my forehead and look
very pious, maybe he liked that. Now, he is surprised that
I have left behind those habits.
How many days did the making of Subramaniapuram take?
We
finished the shooting in 85 days.
What
does your movie have to offer that is different?
I
have never said anywhere that my movie is different. The story
is one that has been said before, so are most of the stories,
but what sets a movie apart is the script. I have tried to
present the events in an interesting sequence, in a manner
that does not lose touch with reality and the audience liked
it a lot.
Why
did you choose a girl from Andhra Pradesh, not from Tamil
Nadu as your heroine?
Initially,
I too wanted to cast a Tamil girl. But the girls that I found
suitable for the character were not willing to act. That is
when I noticed this girl as Trisha’s sister in Selvaraghavan’s
Telugu film Aadavari Maataluku Aradhalu Verule. First, it
was tough to convince her for the role. She felt uncomfortable
with the language and the set up. But, after a face to face
meeting and a discussion she agreed. There were some initial
hassles, but once she settled she did a fine job and brought
out the character better than I expected.
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Why
do directors who make fantastic debuts tend to tail
off in their subsequent ventures?
The
first is always the best. When a director makes his
debut, he gives out the best story that he has written
so far to get a foothold in the industry. What follows
later are ideas that he already had but which he knew
are not as good as the first one. Then there is also
a problem of expectations. A debutant director carries
no load of expectations. But once he has made a good
movie, he is expected to deliver the same, if not better
goods. The expectations may tend to make a movie look
inferior. Finally there might be a problem in the way
success is handled. People may want to do the next film
as soon as possible, get some big stars, make a big
movie, sign a good contract etc. There is a chance of
losing sight of one’s actual goal, making good
movies.
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“Once
a director makes it big, there’s a chance of
losing sight of one’s actual goal: making good
movies.”
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You
have taken on three big responsibilities as a debutant in
your first film. Why?
When
a director acts, there can be only two reasons behind it.
The unavailability of an actor who can carry off the role
or the innate desire to act. Any of these can make a director
take up acting and most of the time directors turned actors
are accepted by the audience very easily. This is because
they look more like the common man, not having handsome faces
and chiseled features like a screen hero. |
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“The
moment a director steps in as an actor there is a
danger of self-indulgence taking over.”
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Balu Mahendra has said that a director should stick
to being a director, what’s your take?
I
agree. The moment a director steps in as an actor
there is a danger of self-indulgence taking over.
The screenplay might be compromised for the individual.
Characters must be made for the story and not vice-versa.
To ensure this, maybe a director should stick to being
a director. I cannot but agree.
Many
assistant directors are waiting for opportunities,
why don’t they get openings?
The
major reason is the attitude of producers who are
ready to produce films only if they have stars in
them, irrespective of whether they like the story
or not. The only thing they want to know is whether
any leading star has agreed to act in the script.
Getting the dates of stars is not a director’s
responsibility, it is part of the producer’s
job and unless they get out of this mindset, assistant
directors will find the going tough.
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What
do you feel about your three roles?
I
was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing. Producing the
movie was the biggest risk, and above that I was directing the
movie and another actor’s absence forced me to act. Now,
realizing that I have succeeded on all three fronts feels very
good. The audience has accepted my performance as an actor and
my skills as a director. But success has not swept me off my
feet, I now feel even more apprehensive about my next venture.
Which
are the locations at which the film was shot?
We
shot at Madurai, Tiruppur and Coimbatore.
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Stories
about thugs are overused, yet you have used such a
subject.
First
let me clarify that this is not a story about thugs
or goons. The movie is about a few youngsters without
a proper education who are dragged into the web of violence
for easy money. I have shown what life will be like
for these young people once they are stranded in the
dark world. This is something that has been acknowledged
by a few young people akin to characters in my movie.
It is about how society and political powers manipulate
hot blooded youngsters.
There
is a strong star system in force in Tamil cinema, your
take on that.
The
star system has been in place for a long time and will
continue to be so. But stars do not make a movie. They
only bring the audience to the theater. Once inside
the hall, it is the director’s skill that holds
the audience’s attention. A star can increase
only the face value of a film, not its quality.
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“But
stars do not make a movie. They only bring the audience
to the theater.”
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How
did the idea of casting Samudrakani come about?
I
have known him since the days of Ram and I felt that his Madurai
slang and curly hairstyle would be perfect for the character.
So, after one month of not visiting the barber shop, he was
ready for the role. Most importantly, he came to me as only
an actor and not a director, this made matters very easy.
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“I
wanted to do at least one good film and I have done
it.”
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Do you want to continue as an actor or a director?
I
came to cinema to be a director. I wanted to do at
least one good film and I have done it. Everything
else is a bonus. But Samudrakani who helped me by
acting in my movie has asked me to return the favor,
and that will happen soon.
Your
next movie?
I
need some time before I get it on the floor. It will
again be a subject on youngsters and will be full
of new faces and I will not be part of the cast. It
may start by January next.
Any
other plans for Subramaniapuram?
Yes,
we are working on the English subtitles for entry
into some international film festivals. Hopefully,
it should come out well.
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