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In the 2005 film Ghajini, Suriya’s Sanjay Ramasamy says, “Thannambikkaikum Thalaiganathukkum, nool alavu dhaan vidhyaasam. Ennaala mudiyum nu solradhu thannambikkai… ennaala mattum dhaan mudiyum nu solradhu thalaiganam (There is a very slight difference between self-confidence and arrogance. ‘I can do it’ is self-confidence. ‘Only I can do it’ is arrogance).” Two-film-old director Ashwath Marimuthu faced a similar conundrum in the run-up to the release of his third directorial, and second Tamil film, Dragon.
From the moment the teaser dropped, followed by the trailer and the intensified promotional drive for Pradeep Ranganathan’s film, Ashwath has been weighed down by the label of an arrogant filmmaker who speaks a much bigger game than what he can truly play. “Tomorrow, I can start a rumour about you, say something bad, and put it on social media. In fact, there was a post that asked me to stay humble, and not shout on the sets of my films. But the fact is… I don’t shout on the sets. In fact, noted filmmaker-actors like KS Ravikumar sir took to the Dragon pre-release event stage, and said he wants to learn how to be quiet on the sets, and still get the work done. Why would such a senior filmmaker say something if it was far from the truth?” asked Ashwath, who pointed out the most important flaw in these allegations. “Why shouldn’t I be confident about my own film? Would you go and watch a film where the director doesn’t exude the confidence that they’ve made a good film?”
Excerpts from a conversation
There are a lot of preconceived notions about Dragon due to the trailer cut. There are voices expecting it to be glorification of a lot of bad things…
This film is about the importance of education. It talks about success. What’s the point of telling this story through a character who is already successful? I need to show the arc, right? Isn’t that what will interest people? The connection happens when there is a fall and a rise. Of course, I didn’t show the entire film in the trailer. Why would I? Even if I did, there would be voices saying I showed everything, and there is nothing that makes them want to watch the film in theatres. See, the common audience just wants to enjoy the film. Sections of social media and other people just want to attack the film. We don’t have to take all of them seriously.
So, are you saying there is targeted trolling and hate being generated?
Why would somebody anonymous say things that are so far from the truth? They start a lie, and a bunch of anonymous people want to teach me a lesson on humility. Why? And why do people believe them anyway? Who knows me better? Random internet people or the ones who worked with me? I don’t shout at my people. It is a very quiet and calm set. And yet, people believed a random post. But now, I can see the tide changing. They find me relatable now. They understand where my confidence comes from. You see, social media can project a lot of things about a lot of people.
I am not going to change either. People can see through fakeness. They are not stupid. You can’t really cheat an audience for a long time, and cloud their opinions through statements made by anonymous accounts. In fact, before Dragon, even I used to be easily swayed by such statements made about others. But now, it is painful. But yeah, you must have all the grace to move past it.
Do these things bother you while writing a film? Does today’s cinema ecosystem have the space to make fun films?
Honestly, even in Oh My Kadavule (Ashwath’s debut film), it was easy to convert it into something really controversial. A guy loving someone else after marriage isn’t taken lightly. Audience could have attacked it, right? But nobody knew about the film before the release, and it gradually became this success. It’s like you are winning a race from out of nowhere. But the next time you run, all eyes, including your competitors’, are on you. They want to scrutinise more.
This confidence often rubs off on your characters too. How much of you is there in your film?
The casting of Maryam George sir in Dragon was important. His role has a lot of resemblance with my father. He is naive but not stupid. He is an innocent soul, who stays the same, and that’s what will create a strong impact in Dragon.
We all have transition phases in our life. I scored 97% in 12th, got a medical seat, but chose engineering, received a lot of attention, and became a changed man. Once I came out of college, I realised I was a zero outside the campus. So, in some ways, Dragon is about how I faced reality. But the central story of the film is fictional. It is the same thing with Oh My Kadavule too. The story of two best friends getting married was from personal life, but I didn’t face divine intervention that gave me a second chance. I am just taking the characters from my life, and putting them in different stories.
Here’s the Dragon trailer:
Be it OMK or your upcoming film with Silambarasan TR, there is a fantasy element in it. And yet, you set them in a largely contemporary setting. Why?
What if you can suddenly transport through the phone, sit right opposite me in my bedroom, and have this conversation face-to-face? That is fantasy. The ‘What if’ makes everything in life very interesting, and I am very inclined to show that aspect on screen. But the more fantastical you go, the more you need to balance reality. That is why a strong emotional core is there in all my films. For instance, OMK worked because of the characters and not because of the fantasy element.
But is it easy to take the pressure of doing a big star film? Especially with someone like Silambarasan, who commands such a loyal and vociferous fanbase?
I love pressure. In fact, when remaking OMK as Ori Devuda in Telugu, I had the upper hand because everyone knew I could make a good film. They didn’t question me much. But I realised I needed the pressure. I am not a line, but a line segment with clearly defined starting and ending points. If there is no end point, I procrastinate, and people even forget that I exist.
For Dragon, we worked with some sort of a deadline, and it was easier to work that way. It is exciting to handle pressure.
Is that why you have moved on to the next even before the release of Dragon.
Honestly, I have wasted a lot of time since 2022. After making Ori Devuda, the actors, the music, and the film got a lot of acclaim, but I was just called as the guy who made Oh My Kadavule.
How important is that recognition of being your own self?
The common audience has a lot of things to do. Do you think, for the longest time, people knew how a Mani Ratnam sir or Sundar C sir looked in real life? At least KS Ravikumar sir used to play those cameos in his films. You could swear by films made by the likes of CV Sridhar sir or K Balachander sir, but did everyone really know how they looked? I’d say it changed after Gautham Vasudev Menon sir entered the industry, and the idea of a ‘director’ became a sensation.
But even now, for the common audience, it is all about the actors. They are the real stars. Even now, I have to make two films every time I make one. The actual film, and then another about everything surrounding the film to let everyone know that the first film is coming out. So yeah, almost two films at a time.
Despite getting a bigger budget, bigger scale, you still opted for composer Leon James for Dragon.
That is my confidence. I don’t go for bigger names because I got successful. Leon gave me my first hit, right? So, why wouldn’t I work with him again? That’s also the understanding from the production side. AGS Entertainment believes in doing what’s best for the film. They trust the director, and back them to the hilt because, at the end of the day, it is the director who gets the film ready.
Finally… There are conversations surrounding Dragon’s idea of morality and ethics. And it is being subject to criticism for the same. Do you think things would be different from February 21?
Dragon is a very socially responsible film. I am more socially responsible than many who are claiming themselves to be one and are bashing the film before its release. Honestly, I can easily defend myself and Dragon from all the noise by just explaining the film I have made. Even now, I am not telling you what exactly I have made because I don’t want to spoil the surprise for the audience. But one thing I will tell everyone is… You can hate me, you can hate Pradeep, but you can’t hate Dragon at all.
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