DIRECTOR A R MURUGADOSS INTERVIEW

I have the realization of how things happen in the film industry. I have spent a bigger part of my life as a common man, drinking tea from roadside shops in Kodambakkam.

Mostly from real life. I’m not alone in saying this; writers, directors or creators of any other form of art get inspired by real life a lot. They observe a lot and hence these things form backdrop to the creation.

After a few initial movies, I realized that urban stories are universal and do not need much tweaking to be adapted into a different language. If it’s a village story, you need to factor in the nativity aspects but urban stories are not like that and hence I focus on them.

I have a lot of ideas to cast up and coming stars and even debut actors. But my movies happen back to back as one is finished. For instance, plans for Thuppakki were made while I was still finishing up 7am Arivu. I understand the ease with which I can direct a debut actor. I am willing to explore it and I have plans.

I will not leave an opportunity like that to go waste but the problem is that both of them are extremely good at what they do. If one of them plays a negative role, it cannot be equated with a positive role because they will be so convincing playing the negative role. All that apart, I will be interested in a movie like that.

South India is bustling with talent. I watch a lot of documentaries when I am free and it amazes me to see how the new breed of directors manage a short film in the cost of a costume budget of lead actors of a mainstream movie. When I came into the industry, I had no clue about how movies work. But the new breed of my assistant directors know things more than even I do; they are technically sound. They leave after one movie and go on their own.

I think movies like Pizza should be encouraged because it puts such talent on a pedestal. However, there is also a danger of movies mushrooming to cash in on the phenomenon. As long as we recognize the talent, I think there is good future for such movies.

Read a lot that opens up an entire world for you. Also watch a lot of movies. You need experience in life for that you need to be a keen observer. Since I come from the lower rungs of the society, I know what happens in, say a village municipal office, court and so on. Often the young, debut directors focus on a love story that can be said brilliantly because they belong to that section of the society. But they need to progress from that and graduate into making multiple subjects.

I like Tamil novels a lot; I am re-reading Cho Ramaswamy’s Mahabharatam. I also read Ki Rajanarayanan’s books. Mahabharatam fascinates me a lot. Ki Rajanarayanan’s books about forests giving way to villages, about simple things such as match boxes and torch lights.

I can be easily bored. I watch movies but usually I work a lot even on Sundays so I cannot stay from movies even for a day. I am used to working like that. I rest after 7 in the evening.