THE 'JODI' BEHIND 'THANI' ORUVAN

Two is definitely better than one when it comes to the writer duo Suresh and Balakrishnan. Clipped together as Suba, the deadly combo has been churning out some nail-biting thrillers in Tamil cinema and the recent winner Thani Oruvan is one of their best works till date. When Mr. Suresh was contacted in the middle of traffic, he takes the time to answer some of Abishek Raaja's probing questions.

1. Thani Oruvan has been unanimously well received by the audience, how are you feeling?

This is what we work for. We are extremely gratified by the response and such notice of our works adds so much of positivity to our writing pads.

2. What went into the writing of Thani Oruvan? With exposing the villain right away, how did you manage to still get the suspense factor going?

We did the same with Ayan. Mohan Raja had already done some extensive research and study about the basic plot and he was sure about the kind of details he wanted. This was thoroughly a team effort and we did a lot of discussion before anything went on to the storyboard. It is what the villain does, that enunciates the suspense element than not exposing somebody till it’s too late to establish. We should let the audience participate in the story and then tease them with unpredictable factors.

3. A similarity between Prithviraj’s role of Madan in Kana Kanden and Arvind Swami’s Sidharth Abhimanyu in Thani Oruvan?

Mohan Raja was particular about the villain role and he had an understanding already. Villains need not be beastly and lousy. They can also be sophisticated and brainy. Lot of homework went into the character sketch of Sidharth and as a team we were sure about the kind of person he was shaping into.

4. How important are the newspapers in your life?

We’ve had days without food, but without papers, we cannot start a day. There is so much drama added to the news you read. Considering the gambit surrounding the recently famous Indrani case, I think journalists are more creative than us.

5. Are writers given due credit and respect?

The most underpaid in the industry are the writers. The situation is getting better, but the process is slow and stagnant sometimes. Without a bound script, you can’t go to a floor to shoot a film. When you don’t mind shelling an extra thousand for a sports shoe, you’ll for sure negotiate over 5 rs for that one stitching your slippers need. Times will change.

Thanks for your time sir. We wish all the very best for your future projects and once again brilliant job on giving us a superb film to cherish.