Third time lucky

January 03, 2015 08:38 pm | Updated 08:38 pm IST

Magilzh Thirumeni

Magilzh Thirumeni

Magilzh Thirumeni, former assistant to Selvaraghavan and Gautham Menon, was to direct four films, all of which were shelved. Finally, when he got down to it, all he ended up with was Mundhinam Paartheney, a flop, followed by sleeper hit Thadaiyara Thaakka . But now, success finally comes calling in the form of Arya-starrer Meaghamann . Amidst celebrations, the director sits down for a chat with us at the Four Frames Sound Company at Valluvarkottam. Excerpts:

Meaghamannwas released simultaneously with three biggies. Do you think this affected your film's success?

All’s well that ends well. (Laughs) I’m happy so many films are being made, thanks to digital technology. The standard of mainstream Tamil cinema has largely risen and audiences have become more discerning. But the marketing and distribution apparatus is still outdated. That needs to be revamped. Good films don’t get the number of theatres they should and are pulled from screens even before they can barely make an impact. We could learn from the Telugu industry which is more organised. For instance, video piracy does not affect the Telugu or Kannada film industry as much as it does Tamil. In other countries, original DVDs of films are available at a reasonable price; we too should be able to get them.

What went wrong withThadaiyara Thaakka,besides the fact that it was ‘A’ rated and lost out on tax benefits?

We knew we weren’t expecting a huge opening, but the IPL really affected the numbers. The team didn't have big names and I had just come out of Mundhinam Paartheney . The media had first given TT a mixed review but the audiences liked it. Even before word-of-mouth could bring in viewers, it had been removed from theatres.

But it got over three million views on YouTube. Does this make a difference?

We lament online piracy and what it has done to the business, but it was technology and social media that took my film places. I only wish the producers had profited from the film’s popularity. I believe a good film will always reach its destination. Even if it doesn’t do well in theatres, it still reaches the audience… only at a cost.

The producers aren’t really making the money they should and there’s no transparency. A film’s success is based on numbers, but its real worth will be known in course of time. When it comes to Hollywood, each ticket sold is recorded. That’s not the case here; even producers don't have an idea of how much money a film makes.

Isn’tMeaghamann’sUsha (Hansika) a little contrived?

When a film becomes mainstream, you have this pressure of catering to all sections. This is more so when the budget is bigger. The family crowd has started coming in because of Hansika’s character — and that’s how I have got my next film. ( laughs ) It’s the director’s responsibility to seamlessly weave a character into the narrative, and if she sticks out or looks forced, then it’s my fault.

Having said that, I think the film was trying to make another point. Arya’s life shows the grim, dog-eat-dog world. And Hansika’s is the other extreme, which is untouched by this world. Her problems are small in comparison to the protagonist’s.

But her naïveté is realistic. My point was to show how her world could be problem-free only because there are people like Arya to protect them.

Does the action genre in Tamil always have to be over the top?

This genre will never go out of fashion. In fact, no genre will, as long as it is updated periodically. The audience is exposed to Hollywood films and it is essential the action sequences are choreographed to suit the tastes of contemporary audiences.

As far as subtlety in action films goes, even Hollywood sequences are not sometimes realistic. What’s heartening is that Tamil films are evolving and the action is getting more convincing. This is the result of younger technicians getting into the game.

What’s in a name?

I came across the term Meaghamann while I was reading a short story and was immediately hooked to it. When I suggested the title, which means ‘captain of the ship’, to Arya, he too liked the sound of it and felt it would work for the film, and so did the producer. I don’t think names of films have to be understood for it to work. For instance, films like Ayan, Ko weren’t affected by the titles.

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