DIRECTOR PA. RANJITH INTERVIEW

The story of Madras starts in 90s and ends in the current period.  It is an action drama within which you would see ‘life’. The film would also delve into relationships.

In Chennai, although North Chennai people have contributed to the growth and development of the city, their growth per se is very minimal. And also in Tamil films they have been portrayed as criminals and anti social elements. Even their lingo remains a botched up version.

In Madras I have said that we can’t paint everyone with the same brush and that such instances could just be a few and there are people who lead a normal and law abiding life there. I have also talked about the culture, traditions and customs of the people of Chennai and the life of current youngsters in the capital of Tamil Nadu.  

The film would also be about the politicking of walls in Chennai which the parties (political) reserve for painting. The problems that arise due to this and its consequences are what I have dealt with in Madras. For an outsider, fighting for a wall would seem very trivial but this issue is really serious for the people involved. I have got into the life of these people and have showcased a different world.  I have created an ambience (in Madras) where you would experience a life that all along you had witnessed as an outsider.  

Most of them are new. Aadhi, Vinod, Nandakumar from theatre groups play important roles. Kalaiarasan plays hero’s friend in a pivotal role. Ritwika of Paradesi fame is paired with Kalaiarasan. Rama from Bharathi Raja’s Ennuir Thozhan is Karthi’s mom in the film. Jaya Rao plays dad’s role. We have given importance to casting as I want the audience to connect with the characters instantly. 

I am teaming with Santhosh Narayanan once again after Attakathi. The advantage with Santhosh is I write what I want in terms of music and give it to him. I also explain everything from the mood to the visuals to my scene progression. He understands it perfectly and tunes in sync with it. We have never got issues with tunes. He delivers accurately what I expect and we share a perfect rapport.

I am glad that music of Madras has reached a very big level, thanks to Santhosh. He has good musical sense and knows the art of producing sound.  

One very nice aspect about Santhosh Narayanan is that he would not vacate the words. He has the talent to bring together the voices and the individual features of sounds in his compositions. With the right amount of dexterity, he reaches to the listeners, the sound as well as the words.

If you note, Pizza and Jigarthanda’s songs are totally different from each other. It was kind of a completely uncontrolled product in Jigarthanda. But at the same time, when you hear Cuckoo’s songs, it would firmly adhere to our tradition. Santhosh is proving his mettle with every film of his and as regards Tamil film music industry, he is surely an important force to reckon with. 

In my opinion, one’s work and emotions are totally different. Venkat Prabhu’s style is different as it is based on his lifestyle and background. My lifestyle is different. I have worked with him in three films and what I like in his work, is that he would make fun of ‘hero’ and over the top projection of a character. His films would talk about normal boys and the happenings in everyday life. His dialogues also would be casual like how we all speak in our daily life. Those aspects are very inspiring to me. I follow this when I write dialogues for my film.

As regards my style, my thought process largely depends on my life and its allied experiences. I want to recount what happens in life and that’s what I have done in my two films. My expression would be a manifestation of the search of my inner mind. To bring this out, I need a working experience which I learnt from Venkat Prabhu. And I have incorporated that in my films.