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On your mark

In the race: Mahesh

What do Ranjith Shankar, Saji Surendran, Baburaj, Swathi Bhaskar, Mahesh and Fazil-Jayakrishna have in common? Well, they are some of the new kids on the block; debut directors whose maiden ventures reached theatres during the past few weeks.

Although tinsel town is a tough place where the winner takes all, these directors have chosen to enter the race and try their luck at the box office. Some of them like Saji and Swathi have called the shots in serials and soaps; Fazil and Jayakrishnan have worked behind the scenes for a fairly long time while some like Ranjith are greenhorns.

Ranjith Shankar

Budget constraints, unrest among co-workers, rocketing remuneration of stars… nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of these debutant directors.

“It’s never easy being a first time director,” agrees Ranjith Shankar, whose ‘Passenger’ was the wildcard entry that beat many of the old hands.

“You really can’t blame others if they are apprehensive about your plans or credibility until you prove yourself, since it is a business where crores of money is at stake. I believe that before trying to convince a producer, we have to be convinced about the subject ourselves,” he adds.

However, Saji Nandyat, producer of ‘Calendar,’ feels that despite the risks involved while working with a debutant, they would be more determined and passionate than veterans to make a mark in reel world.

A fact acknowledged even by stars. “Everyone is on the lookout for credible storylines. It was Mammootty who encouraged me to direct the film, when I went to him with the initial draft of ‘Passenger.’ Later on, Sreenivasan not only played an important role in my film, but also got me a producer as well,” says Ranjith.

Saji Surendran

On the other hand, Saji and Swati rue that despite their considerable experience as directors, it was difficult to find a foothold in the movie industry.

“When compared to associates and assistant directors who are already part of the industry, we are often at a disadvantage. It is never easy to convince producers and the big stars, at least when we make our first movie,” says Saji, director of another unexpected hit ‘Ivar Vivahitharayal.’

Finding a producer is the least of the problems faced by new directors. They chorus that the problems really start when the films are ready for release, especially ones without a star cast. It is an uphill task to find distributors and theatres.

Actor-turned-director Baburaj’s grouse is that his film ‘Black Daliya’ was taken out of most theatres even though it had reasonably good reviews.

“We are always lamenting about the lack of experiments in Malayalam cinema. But the theatres in Kerala tend to take a passive stand unless it happens to be the film of a superstar or a film distributed by big distribution houses. This is true not just for the newcomers but for veteran filmmakers as well,” says Baburaj.

Echoing his sentiments Swati (director of ‘Currency’) adds: “The gestation period may be a little longer when it comes to connecting with audiences if the director is attempting a different genre or when the cast does not include the top stars. Though we claim to support fresh themes, I am not sure if our viewers actually go to the theatres to watch those films.”

Fazil

He cites the example of ‘Thazhvaram,’ which is one of the best films made in Malayalam. It failed to create waves at the box office even though the Bharatham film that was scripted by M.T. Vasudevan Nair starred Mohanlal in the lead.

The director duo of Fazil and Jayakrishna, who made ‘Kancheepurathe Kalyanam’ say that the industry should support debutant directors, as it will bring in new ideas.

Baburaj

Although Mahesh says that newcomers are sometimes forced to make many compromises in the storyline and so on, Saji and Ranjith point out that it all depends on the equation between the producer and the director.

But Ranjith adds: “‘Passenger’ has been made the way I would have liked it. However, I am not sure if ‘Passenger’ would have got the kind of response, both from the industry and audiences, if we made it with fresh faces in the lead.”

The debates and discussions continue. Meanwhile, their debutant status is over and the directors are already busy with their next ventures to woo fickle and fussy viewers and producers.

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