How it happened
I was interested in films from my childhood. I used to watch and participate in school plays. As I wanted to enter cinema, I came to Chennai. Being a diploma holder in mechanical engineering, I landed a job as a systems coordinator. I joined actor-director R. Parthepan and was with him for nearly five years and with S. A. Chandrasekar and Cheran for two years. I met director Shankar's co-brother, R. Balaji, who was interested in producing a film. When I narrated a storyline to him, he readily agreed to make it. And my first film, Uyir, was born.
How it felt
The first time I saw my name in the credits, at Devi theatre, tears welled up in my eyes. People were watching the film in silence. When Sangeetha appeared on the screen, the audience cheered at the way her character was etched. Producer Balaji, who was seated next to me, said, “You have won and you need not worry at all.”
How life changed
I came to Madras 20 years ago. My niece was waiting to marry me. My aim was to get married after I became a director. That happened only when I turned 35. I arranged my wedding to coincide with the release of Uyir — June 16, 2006. But the film got delayed by another 15 days. So I can say life changed for me only after marriage. When I was young I did not have enough food to eat. Now I have everything, but I am not able to eat for lack of time. I finished my diploma with Rs. 30,000, but my daughter's pre-KG fee exceeds that. I used to walk or travel by bus to college. My daughter goes to school in a car. I have finished two films Mirugam and Sindhu Samaveli, and am busy with my next, Sarithiram . Now, tell me hasn't life changed?
