DIRECTOR P. RAMESH INTERVIEW

Home > Interviews

''I HAD ONLY A ROAD AND A HOUSE IN MIND WHEN I WROTE THEGIDI'' - DIRECTOR P. RAMESH

Interview Team : Kaushik L M; Abhishek Krishnan

When Tamil Cinema industry had doors that were almost knock-proof, producers like C.V Kumar and many others built special doors for themselves, which were opened wholeheartedly whenever an aspiring talent knocked their doors for an opportunity.

Once such talent is P. Ramesh, the director of Thegidi, who was the winner of the second season of the popular television show, Nalaya Iyakunar.  Thegidi has had a great run in the theaters and director Ramesh has appeared to have had a clear vision on what exactly he wanted.

In a quick chat with Behindwoods, Ramesh talks about Thegidi and much more.


PHOTOS & STILLS - GALLERY

The tight IT job

I hail from an IT background. I was interested in films and started making short films. But, my IT job was so tight that I could not spend time for my short films. So, I shifted myself to a supply chain domain, where I had a regular 9 to 5 job. That gave me ample time for my short films. I participated in the second season of Naalaya Iyakunar and also won the title. My venture into movies started from there.

Naalaya Iyakunar

I have learned a lot from this show. Initially, before taking part in the show, I just had a fair idea about the technical aspects, when shooting a movie. But after working practically on short movies in the show, I got a hang of the technicalities and that gave me a lot of confidence.

The awe-inspiring visuals in Roja

I was inspired by two directors. Mani Ratnam sir and Shankar sir. I really loved the opening sequence of Roja, in which they catch Wasim Khan. It had some awe-inspiring visuals even in those days. I also liked the way Shankar sir conveys a social message packed in a commercial movie.

Almost all my short films have a social message. But when it comes to mainstream cinema, I am not sure if I can have a social message in all my films although I felt Thegidi had a small message in it. But, I wish to convey some message in all my films.

Creative freedom thanks to C.V Kumar

I would say he is one of the best producers. Generally as a producer people tend to jump to a safe side, by trying to get commercial elements from the director, in order to sell the movie. But, C.V Kumar is not like that. He provides suggestions and ideas to enhance the value of the film.

He believes that if he works for the film, it will automatically do business for him. A lot of young directors approach him because he thinks out of the box and also gives success in the same time.  

Another great thing about him is that he does not interfere in a director’s creativity by asking us to change a particular dialogue or a sequence. The only thing he expects from us is that we make the movie with the exact gist that is in the script.

Another great thing about him is that he does not interfere in a director’s creativity

The hard working team

-          Dinesh Krishnan

When I wrote the script, I was very sure of what I wanted. The movie is visually challenging, especially in the second half.  So, I was very particular that I should have a good cinematographer, who can also work fast.

That is why I chose Dinesh Krishnan, because he had already proved himself with his extraordinary effort in Soodhu Kavvum. I am very happy that he has delivered exactly what I wanted.

-          Nivas Prasanna

Generally, some people have a creative limit. They might not be able to deliver beyond a particular level. However, Nivas is not like that. The more I interacted with him and explained the scene, the more he delivered.

-          Ashok Selvan

Ashok Selvan was the first actor that I fixed for the movie. To be open, he is an actor who works with a lot of dedication. Even for Villa, his first movie as a lead, he had put in a lot of hard work.


I heard that he worked for three days at a stretch without taking a break, for Villa. It is definitely an add-on when an artist works with so much involvement and without too many complaints. 

It is definitely an add-on when an artist works with so much involvement and without too many complaints. 

A road and a house to start with

I had written numerous scripts as soon as I came out of Naalaya Iyakunar. But there were a lot of budget constraints.  For instance, if I write a scene set in a festival backdrop, we definitely need that in the film. That was where the challenge came.

So, I decided to write a script focusing only on locations like a road and a house as it would just need a moderate budget. I had to keep that limitation in mind when I was writing. That was how Thegidi shaped up.

The New Wave trend

It is definitely a healthy trend. We are getting to see many movies that have out of the box ideas. This trend has also proved that one can direct a movie without having worked as an assistant to someone.

By not working as an assistant director, the only drawback I have faced is that, I did not have a proper network. If I had worked with someone I would have learned management better and also would have interacted with more people in the industry.

Purushothaman Vallabha and Thegidi 2

I have understood from many that people are eager to know who Purushothanam Vallabha is. I am sure that I will be making Thegidi 2 soon. The reason why I decided not to have it immediately is because I don’t want to repeat genres at the moment. I want to lay my hands on different other genres so that I am not stamped as a director of only a particular genre.

But, yeah Thegidi 2 is definitely on the cards.

 

Behindwoods wholeheartedly wishes Ramesh the very best of luck, to give us more interesting movies like Thegidi. Hoping he would reveal Purushothaman Vallabha’s face to the Tamil Audience soon.

FACEBOOK COMMENTS

OTHER LATEST INTERVIEWS

More

DIRECTOR P. RAMESH RELATED NEWS

More

DIRECTOR P. RAMESH RELATED LINKS

Tags : CV Kumar, Ramesh, Thegidi

ABOUT THIS PAGE

This page hosts exclusive interviews with actors, actresses, film technicians and related celebrities. The interviews are generally personal views of the guest about their projects and film related matters. People looking for information about actors, actresses, directors, music directors, cameramen and other technicians will find this page useful.