Once again, some in the audience say that you focus so much on the story, that the hero takes a backseat. Will you, if needed, turn your script around to suit a star?
No, I won’t. There is no need to make compromises like that. And my movies do not diminish the hero at all. Actually, they show him to be more powerful than most other movies. Take E for example. After the movie, Jeeva was a bigger hero than before, wasn’t he? Though I do not twist my stories to project my heroes as supermen, I give them strong enough roles that could only elevate their value in the movie market.

On actors entering politics
There's no harm in actors using their popularity to enter politics. Or for that matter singers or dancers or any other kind of popular performers. But swaying the people with charity and flags alone won't enable them to understand politics and be effective. Whether it is a singer or an actor, they should study the State's weaknesses and strengths, its problems, and offer viable solutions. That would be doing real politics.

Is E based on people you knew?
True. I grew up near the Mylapore market. I based the story on my brother's friend who lived near the Mylapore market. We all used to call this man Eee because he would appear and disappear like a fly. He is no more, and I’m sad about that. Many of the other characters in the movie are also named after my friends – some even modeled on them!

What would be an underlying purpose for your movies?
I’m eager to do films which carry some sort of a social message, movies rooted in a particular reality. I like exploring drama and romance within that context – not in a context of fantasy. For 'Iyarkai' I have taken the lives of seafaring people as the theme. When I wanted to make the movie, people said who would be interested in a movie about sea farers…and how do you know what life for them is like? Tamil Nadu has such a long history of sea trade extending to 2000 years, so how could they say that? I made the movie and proved them wrong. And now for my new movie, Peranmai, I have dealt with forests and hills and the lives of people living there.

How would this be different from other Tamil movies with a rural setting?
Good question. My movie is not about agriculture on the plains – we know that only too well from several movies. Peranmai is about farming in the hills, which is vastly different. Just imagine how freezing the weather is up there, mist and cold, etc, and this is the picture I want to convey in the movie.

How have you attempted to go about showing it?
When we go to Kodaikannal for instance, we go for a holiday and enjoy the cold. But for the people who live there all through the year, it is a struggle. I want to project reality the way it is and not as what we read in school text books. Farmers living on hills have to take into account inhospitable climate, poisonous insects and other subtle difficulties while farming. Life itself is difficult- which school textbooks either generalize or gloss over!

What do you feel is the difference between Tamil movies and Hindi movies?
I do have something important to say about that. Increasingly Hindi movies are urban with very contemporary themes. It’s good that the themes are current, but all of it seems for a city audience or an NRI audience. Tamil movies, and indeed South Indian movies, are still in touch with grassroots. Movies are still set in villages and towns, and if it is the city, in slums. I think Hindi movies seriously need to come back to ground realities. They have become too glossy, catering only to an international audience. Tamil movies still reach out to the lowest levels.

Your titles are always intriguing. What about Peranmai?
Well, with Tamil being such a rich language, there's no dearth of good Tamil titles for me! Peranmai is a much used word, but not in cinema so far, perhaps.

What about awards?
Though I don’t target awards, I will be very happy to receive them. When I won an award, director Vikraman and NA.Kamarasan immediately reached out and congratulated me. One of them even came to my house and garlanded me. But the audience in general don’t seem to be too aware of awards, or they don’t seem to particularly go to movies because it has won an award. This is sad, because it means that the award means little at the box office. How many people know, for instance, about the awards my movies have received? Few.

What about corporate companies funding Tamil movies?
Well, both – corporate or studio financing – has its own problems. Each bring their own pressure. Studios make a demand that a movie should be shot here or there and within a certain framework. Corporate companies offer you a wider distributorship. I’m making Peranmai for Ayngaran, which is a huge international company. They also have a worldwide market.

On actors.
If a technician does not turn up for a day, I can do without him or replace him at short notice, but with actors, even actors doing a small part, need to be present to take the shot. So, we are dependent on them. If I cast a star as hero, I have to stay with the star till the end of the movie. That’s the fame and respect all actors have. Too many people may not know me, but they will know even the smallest actor in my movies. That’s their market. But that doesn’t mean directors don’t have their market. Bala and Ameer have their own market, I have mine, Mani Ratnam has his, and so on. But it’s the actors who command the biggest market.

What about Parutheveeran?
I greatly admired it for its precision. Ameer knew exactly what lighting to use, what costumes, etc. Even though it did not have stars, it was a hit. The movie is a lesson for all of us. At least, I have taken it as a lesson.