I Ahmed on Nayanthara, Jayam Ravi-starrer Iraivan: ‘I have created a world which is scary and as real as possible’

Compared to your debut Vaamanan and second film Endrendrum Punnagai, which were comedy dramas, Iraivan is dark and morbid.

I think that change is natural. As an artiste, if I keep doing the same thing, it gets monotonous. After this, I am doing a spy thriller titled Jana Gana Mana. I want to try out new genres. Endrendrum Punnagai was a bromance, and then Manithan (remake of Jolly LLB) was a social justice film. Now, I want to try something new. I don’t think Iraivan is morbid or things like that. To me, emotions are more important than anything else. The idea here is to make a fast-paced thriller, which is also emotional. I don’t prefer mixing genres. So, there won’t be any comedy like my previous films. I like to stay true to the genre.

Who is the Iraivan (God) in this? Going by the trailer both the protagonist and the antagonist come across as people who consider themselves above the law.

Exactly. That’s the irony, you know. The villain (Rahul Bose) has a God complex. On the other hand, the hero (Jayam Ravi) doesn’t want to wait for God to punish him because he thinks the crimes are horrific. Whenever such a horrific crime happens, people wonder whether or not there is God out there. So, the film is about all these layers. Audiences, based on their understanding of life, will have different takeaways from the film. I want to leave it at that.

With Jawan, Nayanthara has become a nationwide sensation. And Jayam Ravi is still basking in the success of Ponniyin Selvan films. With two heavyweights, how was the pressure?

It was challenging. You have to show them in a new light, and at the same time, I have to attempt something I haven’t done yet. On top of that, I have to make sure it is entertaining for the audience. Any commercial film is a challenge.

Jayam Ravi, Nayanthara, and I Ahmed on the sets of Iraivan.

An ongoing criticism of films involving violence against women is that they exploit the theme just for the plot. Are you aware of it, and what’s your take?

When you write a film like this, you try to do certain research and understand the behaviour of psychopaths… like why they chose women as their victims. About 90 per cent of male serial killers tend to choose women as their victims. They want a victim whom they can overpower physically. And of course, there’s a sexual connotation to it. I have just made the film with these things in mind and nothing else. If I am making a film about a guy, who is abusive to his lover, that doesn’t mean I am for it. I am just trying to tell a story about him.

Then again there’s this debate about the gaze and voyeuristic nature of the shots when it comes to films like this…

See, I am creating a world which is scary and as real as possible. I am working backwards to make that world right. So, one can’t expect a killer to not do anything after he has abducted his prey… It is like getting inside a cage with a lion. You can’t expect it to not harm you. If I don’t want to do this, I shouldn’t make this kind of film in the first place.

To create an impact, you have to show certain things. Is that what you are saying?

It is not about creating an impact. For example, if I want to show a cop… him shooting someone is part of the package. So, this is the logic. I have taken up this genre and I am creating a world. And I have to show things that are as realistic as possible. Take Raman Raghav for example, he is a brutal guy. Making a film about him doesn’t mean, I endorse him. I am just trying to stay true to my film. I am a soft person to start with (laughs). I am not dark at all. My previous movies are all light-hearted. But what happens is that I am at an age where I have to move out of my comfort zone.

You claim to be a soft person… but the trailer is pretty gory. Where is this coming from?

I Ahmed on the sets of Iraivan.

I didn’t want to cheat the audience. I want to caution the audience that this is the kind of film you are getting into. Jayam Ravi is a big-time commercial hero and has a lot of family audience as his fanbase. It won’t be appropriate for children to come for this. I could have easily shown all the rosy shots… but I don’t want to take them by surprise. They should know what they are signing up for.

Do you think Rahul Bose was underutilised by the film industry?

He is an intense actor. He is choosy as well. For him, it has to be worth it. He takes his profession very seriously. I can’t comment on whether he was underutilised. What I can tell is that after this movie, he will attract more good scripts. A lot of new audiences will notice him.

Since he is choosy, was it hard to convince him for the role?

We hit it off instantly. He believed that I could deliver. We discussed at length about the character… he said ‘yes’ immediately.

Rahul Bose in Iraivan.

Be it crime thriller or any genre film, they all share similar traits of the genre. Does Iraivan have any USP?

You are right. I have taken this into account. It is not just psycho-thrillers, all genre films have similarities. Like if you take a romantic comedy, it’s about the couple falling in love, then a conflict, and it is about whether they end up together or not. There’s a limitation there. But it is about how we say what we say. I tried to break free of some patterns. It is up to the audience to comment on that. I hope it is not template-ish.

Be it psycho thrillers or other genre films, we end up mimicking Hollywood a lot in terms of the structure or even the feel. We don’t get to see crime stories that are rooted in our country much.

The reason why we ape Hollywood is that many of the technology and tools of filmmaking were invented there. There’s science behind the art of storytelling, which is pretty evident in American films. We get inspired by watching these movies. The structure and all that. Iraivan might look Hollywoodish, but it is 100 per cent domestic also. When you watch the movie, you will know.