Airaa director Sarjun KM: I am more immune to criticism now

Even when he was in college, the director knew that he wanted to be in the film industry. “I was an actor and did a lot of stage dramas and mime shows. Eventually, I directed a few. After quitting my IT job, I took up a course at Rajiv Menon’s Mindscreen Film Institute. And here I am today,” says Sarjun.

Sarjun KM talks to us about his inspiration, the kind of cinema he loves and wants to make, among other things.

Excerpts from the conversation:

How did your journey into filmmaking begin?

I see Mani Ratnam films as the Bible. In fact, everything started with Guru. I did a thesis on the film while studying at Mindscreen Film Institute. I was desperate to impress Rajiv Menon, and he knew it as well. The more I knew about the film, the better it got. It’s one of the ravishingly crafted films of Mani sir, with so much detailing involved. No scene was random and I remember watching the dubbed version of Guru at Woodlands, and I was completely drawn towards it. Then, Pudhupettai is my all-time favourite. I watched it on the day of the release at Albert Theater. You won’t believe, only ten people including me were there. I thought to myself, “Indha nalla padathukke koottam varalena, vera endha padathukku koottam varum!” Since I belong to north Madras (Triplicane), I could connect with Selvaraghavan’s characters. Every time, I see his films, I don’t see his protagonists; I just see myself.

What did you learn from Mani Ratnam?

If Mani sir schedules something, he will make sure he finishes it—no matter what. When Mani sir is directing a film, there is no question about the quality. He is uncompromising as a director. Guess what? He liked Airaa and told me it was a well-made film.

Lakshmi and Maa were superhit short films. Now that you have directed Nayanthara, will you continue to make them?

Absolutely. There is a lot of freedom when it comes to creating content on YouTube. No restriction. No censor. You can experiment with anything you want. I made three short films before Lakshmi and Maa, and one of them was for Karthik Subbaraj’s Stone Bench Creations. I sent Lakshmi to film festivals, after which Gautham Menon released it under his home banner, Ondraga Entertainment. Actually, I told two stories to Gautham. What released was the one he chose. The other one—I am planning to make sometime in future. It’s more controversial than Maa, by the way. (Laughs)

Echarikkai didn’t do well at the box-office. Thoughts?

I knew it wasn’t exactly my kind of film. I am not a fan of thrillers. I am more of a drama guy.

How did Airaa happen? Does the film deal with any controversial subject?

Kotapadi Rajesh of KJR Studios called me saying he loved Maa and asked if I had any story to narrate. I worked on a couple of ideas and pitched a line to him. Airaa isn’t controversial, but we hae addressed a sensitive issue, which is prevalent in Tamil Nadu. It is about women, and the way they are treated. When I work with a star like Nayanthara, I have to come up with a script bearing certain things in mind. I shouldn’t disappoint her fans. At the same time, I have to fulfil my artistic sensibilities and stay true to it. With Airaa, I balanced both.

I didn’t feel any pressure when I was making my first feature. But directing Nayanthara in my second film was a huge responsibility. She has had back-to-back hits, and Airaa has to do financially well. In the beginning, I was nervous, but I felt at ease when we planned things. I totally loved making those flashback portions in black and white. Here, they are scared of using the tone. People think it is a risk. The film doesn’t open with those scenes, but I am sure the audience will lap it up. Nayanthara was extremely cooperative and did the best she could for both the characters (Yamuna and Bhavani).

What was Nayanthara’s response when you narrated the story?

Initially, Nayanthara was supposed to only play Yamuna, the journalist. Around that time, Bhavani wasn’t a well-developed character. As we brainstormed, we thought why not Nayanthara play both roles herself. But she wasn’t immediately convinced. I took references from Satyajit Ray’s Charulata and gave a presentation to Nayanthara with photoshopped images. After doing a makeup test, she was confident.

In Airaa, both the characters meet at some point in time, and you can clearly see the subtle differences we have shown between Yamuna and Bhavani. We have used two different voices for dubbing. Deepa Venkat has dubbed for Yamuna, while for Bhavani, we have used Krithika Nelson’s voice. When you see Bhavani on screen, you will forget that she is Nayanthara. When an actor plays a dual role, the characters are usually related. With Airaa, we have tried to break that concept. In Maya, the makers would have not shown two Nayantharas in the same frame. But in Airaa, that’s the catch.

What was the toughest artistic choice that you had to make in Airaa?

To weave in horror elements around the story, because I know it is not exactly my strength. I enjoy watching films like Insidious and Conjuring though. I neither believe in ghosts nor God. So, it was challenging to make something I don’t believe in.

Did Nayanthara have anything to say about your short films?

She loved Maa, and we have discussed it many times. But I didn’t ask why she didn’t like Lakshmi. (laughs)

Why Kalaiarasan in the role of an ex-Serviceman?

He is a terrific actor. Perhaps, he should have got better films after Madras. He has a meaty role in Airaa, and this is his best performance till date.

Priyanka Ravindran has written the story and screenplay for Airaa. A female writer because of a female-oriented script?

It is good to have a different perspective, right? It is not that a male can’t write good roles for women. K Balachander, Balu Mahendra and Mani Ratnam have done it. But Priyanka and I know each other well. Since she focused on the writing, I was able to concentrate more on other aspects of filmmaking.

How easy or difficult is to write female characters being a man?

It would have been difficult if I didn’t work with Mani Ratnam or watch Selvaraghavan films. Both the filmmakers don’t use women as props in their films. They might be flawed, but they are as strong as men. The kind of writing one does have so much to do with women they know. That way, I have met many independent women. My mother, a retired teacher, is one such.

In Lakshmi, I dealt with two things that I am familiar with—women who travel by trains and relationships. I take sub-urban trains myself, and I am a good observer. I come from a middle-class family, and I have always wondered how people manage to handle sexual relationships in such spaces. You could say Lakshmi is my attempt to find an answer to many questions I have asked myself about women, who come from specific social strata. Also, Lakshmi is somewhat inspired by Paulo Coelho’s Eleven Minutes. It had a subplot about a librarian in Switzerland. I couldn’t come out of the story for a long time. That’s how Lakshmi came into existence. Maa was purely fictional.

Often, we hear there is a lack of quality writers in Tamil cinema.

Yes. That’s because all writers want to direct. And all directors think they can be good writers. Very few realise both are two different skills. I know of many people who are extremely good at screenwriting, but unfortunately, the industry doesn’t credit and pay them for their work. The scenario is different when we have seasoned writers on board. If we have more writers, we can explore different genres.

Bollywood understands the importance of screenwriters, and slowly the trend is catching up down South. Mani sir always ropes in different writers on his films, and that is why he is relevant and successful even today. Inexperienced directors can’t afford to have writers in the team because of financial implications. Not all production houses pay good money to fresh writers. Mostly, they ask the directors to bear the expenses.

Let’s talk about KS Sundaramurthy’s music.

Sundaramurthy and I share amazing chemistry, and we complement each other. When Maa was released on YouTube, I thought he would get more recognition. But he didn’t. Instead, the spotlight was on me because of the story’s controversial premise. Sundaramurthy has given some fantastic music, and when he played the Megathoodham tune first, I was extremely pleased. We made sure three songs were of three distinct styles. What seemed challenging was to work with Sundaramurthy. He is a night person, whereas I am not. He is asleep when I am awake. And I am awake when he is asleep. (grins)

What’s next?

I would like to direct a full-fledged commercial film, and I have got two scripts ready. But I strongly feel it is important to have good producers and distributors backing your film. If Gautham Menon hadn’t tweeted about Lakshmi, it would have reached these many views. Echarikkai didn’t do well because it didn’t have a good release. But a few caught the film on Netflix and told me they liked it. I don’t want to make the same mistake twice. On YouTube, every day 30-40 short films get uploaded, but who are ready to watch them? Moreover, how are we supposed to know a short film is releasing? Kaaviyame eduthaalum, ozhunga promote pannalena failure dhaan. I am equally interested in exploring time travel.

Do you take your critics seriously?

Constructive criticism is always welcome. When I read a few reviews of Echarikkai, I got a different perspective about the script, which never struck me. I am perfectly okay even when someone says they don’t like my film. But personal attacks are not okay. That is what happened when Lakshmi got released. It affected me. Now, I am more immune to criticism. I have become stronger and wiser.

Two short films centred around the lives of women and a film with Nayanthara. Do you fear being labelled a feminist filmmaker?

I am a feminist, and I am happy about the tag. (Smiles).