I don't find anything black and white; I find grey in every person, and that is what excites me.
Vetrimaaran
Awards are an encouragement. An award is not something we aim at while making a film.
For me, in any story that I take, the antagonist is more interesting and multi-dimensional.
We'd like to explore the prequel idea. I think it would be best suited as a web series on some digital platform. The prequel will be called 'Rajan Vagaira,' and it will track the rise of Rajan's character in 'Vada Chennai' and how he built his empire.
It's always good to promote a film on a larger scale before it's been put to test.
Dhanush paid my salary in 2015 when I needed it to make 'Visaaranai.'
Actually, after three years, I realised that the opening scenes of 'Polladhavan' were inspired by 'Lolita,' in which the lead character says, 'Why did I meet her? My life would have been different had I not met her.'
When you're a filmmaker or a scriptwriter, you face a lot of challenges while making a film. And when you produce it, you have to put in an extra effort.
For me, every film is a learning process. After each, I take time to unlearn.
Once, a man at the customs duty check at the Delhi Airport asked me a question in Hindi, and I told him that I didn't speak the language. He got angry and said, 'How could you not speak in Hindi? Hindi is our mother tongue.' I told him that it wasn't my mother tongue. He got furious, and made me wait for over 45 minutes.
I am a serious filmmaker, and I see the whole process of filmmaking more as a piece of art.
The academy which boasts of 6,000 to 8,000 voting members are most likely to get swayed by the national mood in the US. There is a point person for every movie at the Oscars, who is supposed to promote the film and is trusted by the panel. By keeping all these in mind, Tamil cinema making its way to the final list is quite ambitious.
The joy I get while listening to my daughter, Poonthendrel, speak is incomparable. I've listened to several other kids speak but have never enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed listening to my daughter.
Rajkumar was the winner of 'Naalaya Iyakkunar Season 2,' and I was impressed with his short film. He joined me as an assistant when I started the pre-production work for 'Vada Chennai.'
It is a challenging task to adapt a book to screen presentation and you will not be able to satisfy those who read the classic novel.
I wasn't happy the way I completed 'Asuran' or abandoned the film as it isn't complete. People are liking it and it's making money and I'm glad but I'm not happy with how I had to finish it.
My films are a reflection of the society I live in, what I see and observe.
The younger generation of filmmakers is concerned about our roots, rather than making films with characters plucked out of the cloud or some English DVD. Actually since 2000, Tamil cinema is going through some positive changes.
Going international is my game. I've always wanted to do it, and after 'Aadukalam,' I got to meet Anurag Kashyap, the face of alternate Indian cinema to the world.
We should protest to ban NEET altogether.
It is much easier to do a film about something that the audience readily knows about - say, cricket. It is much more difficult to write a film based on golf.
The Hindi remake rights for 'Visaranai' have been bought by director Priyadarshan.
AJ' is a very special movie to me. I have been watching Dinesh and Rajkumar from their initial days, and have witnessed their evolution. The film talks about the bond shared between a father and a son who wants to fulfil his father's dreams. It's a cross between a comedy of errors and a political satire.
I do films for the common man and identify myself one among them.
I like to keep my films close to reality.
Every film that I make is an accident.
I can't describe how I make a film. It's organic.
Anybody with a good smart phone can shoot and edit a film. Distributing it is the hard part.
The psychology of education is all about how the society gets benefited from it.
Characters, conflict and geography are things that must be considered while making movies from adaptations.
My films are a personal reflection on the impact that the state - the system and the world - has on me.
I can't write about someone who is unlike me in all senses-physically, emotionally and socially.
If a film can't excite me and teach me something about life, then it is not worth pursuing.
The budget of 'Vada Chennai' is nearly Rs 60 crores.
I've always said that the more ethnic you become, the more international your film becomes.
We all have to consciously make efforts to identify our roots and nurture them.
My mentor is Balu Mahendra.
Vada Chennai' is a proper mainstream film, told in a sensible way.
Vada Chennai 2' needs a big budget.
Whatever film it is, the geography has to be right. If I cannot establish it, I'll get lost. I wouldn't even understand it in the first place! I hence visit a place and decide what can be conveyed from where; how that can be incorporated in the story.
I don't believe in one slow panning-shot to show a place. It should unfurl in the story itself.
When we belong to a community and learn things that are no way related to our society, we live as unwanted entities in that society.
India is a conglomeration of different states with various languages, tradition, and culture for each.
The violence in 'Visaranai' is based on reality.
One of my staff members told me that after the release of the film, whenever a custodial death is reported, people say - 'Another 'Visaranai.' This is the kind of change that I am looking for; it should hit you hard.
Kaaka Muttai' is the expression of an insider. It is a film about globalisation and its effects.
Manikandan is a complete filmmaker and knows his job well.
Visaaranai' reflects a stark reality from which you cannot shut yourself out: that is its success.
I wrote 'Aadukalam' keeping Dhanush in mind. As an actor, he delivers exactly what I need and sometimes more.
The best part about an actor is that they should firstly be receptive and secondly be expressive.
