Looks like you’re back in home territory with Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen , a comedy, after Gethu (an action thriller) and Manithan (a courtroom drama).
I wanted to do a content-oriented film, and that’s why I did Manithan . People seem to finally accept me as an actor now. Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen is a comedy, but it’s very different from Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (OKOK) . This is Ezhil’s film, set in Ezhil’s world. He’s an expert of the B and C centres.
I’ve heard a lot about Ezhil’s casual working style.
He is a producer’s director. I’ve never met a director like him. Even I feel I can direct a film now… he makes it look that easy. He said he would complete the film in 30 days and I was shocked to hear that. It took us 110 days to complete OKOK . Even Manithan took 45 days, even though it was a remake. I insisted we take at least 40 days, because I need a lot of time to dance. Even then, he managed to finish it in 39 days. He would have completed it earlier if I could have stopped myself from laughing each time I shot with Yogi Babu, Soori and Mansoor Ali Khan.
You mentioned doing this film for the B and C centres. Are there times when your role as a producer supercedes your role as an actor?
I was a producer before I became an actor, so I understand the business side of things. I knew Manithan was going to be an A-centre film, so I wanted to follow that with a film that’ll run outside cities.
What kind of an audience member are you?
I’m certainly a B and C centre guy. I grew up watching Rajini sir’s films. I watch Vijay’s films now. Everyone knows I’m a hardcore Vijay fan.
Why did you do a film like Manithan then?
It wasn’t to prove anything to anyone. Thirty minutes into Jolly LLB , I knew I wanted to remake it. I knew it would challenge me. Manithan’s success has changed my perspective. I’ve become confident now…I feel like I can do any role.
Is there a sequel coming up?
We are working on Manithan 2 , but it’s not based on Jolly LLB 2 . We requested Fox Star Studios if we could retain Akshay Kumar’s character from the original, but the similarities end there.
How do you rate yourself as an actor today?
I was watching Aadhavan yesterday and I was laughing at myself. Till Manithan , I used to ask myself what I was doing on a film set. I know what suits me better now.
Do you analyse yourself as an actor from a producer’s standpoint?
I know my market and the satellite value of my films. I was to do a film called Idhayam Murali that was supposed to be shot in the US, but we dropped that because its budget was too high for one of my films. But these are things I worry about only till we start shooting. After that, I have people taking care of production.
What about the period after the shoot?
Oh, I’m back in the seat of a producer then. I can’t fall asleep and I start worrying about getting theatres and its promotions.
What is more stressful?
Release is always stressful. Now with the Baahubali storm, everyone wants to postpone their films. I heard the madness has subsided, so we will release our film on time.
If you hadn’t started acting, would you have focussed more on production?
Right now, production is very tough. I have reduced films with other heroes. Compared to other states, the salaries of the stars here are massive; at times it’s 50% of the production cost. Even politically, there’s a lot of pressure when it’s my film. If I buy a film, it becomes impossible to get tax exemption. But I still try to release them without putting my name on it. The second my name is attached, the original producer gets affected. Now, we have a new producer’s council and I’m hopeful they will iron out these issues.
Your political career too has taken a backseat...
I was involved in politics before I entered cinema, and I have campaigned for my father and grandfather. Cinema is now my focus 24x7. After all, it’s politics, right? Anything can happen at any time. If you’d asked me six years ago if I wanted to become an actor, I would have said no way.
