PS Vinothraj on award-winning movie Koozhangal: ‘I didn’t follow any film theory or structure…’

Excerpts from the interview:

Despite winning at Rotterdam, it has taken a while for the film to reach the audience. What’s the reason?

There were a lot of reasons. Somehow, it is finally out. I wish people would watch and support it.

Is the short runtime the reason for the film not getting a theatrical release?

Yes. That’s one of the important reasons that the film couldn’t be released in theatres. A film should at least be a bit more than one and a half hours for it to be released in theatres because of the interval.

There has never been a Tamil release without an interval. Why are we so rigid here? Will it change?

It should have happened with Koozhangal. I am a bit upset that it didn’t happen. There’s a practice in place here. There’s a business surrounding interval and all that. We all… audience, theatres, and makers should come together to make that change where both kinds of cinema can exist. It should happen. Let’s see when it does.

Most people go to Chennai with the dream of becoming a big commercial director. But why did you venture into this cinema space, where the film language is different from the mainstream?

Nothing like that. I too grew up watching Tamil cinema, of which I liked a few films more than others. Those films pull you towards them. I came here wanting to make such films. Once you are here, the people you meet and the things you see make an impact. Drama was one of the biggest influences for me. The language you are talking about is from there. I wanted to try bringing that language to cinema and see what can be done. I don’t know if we have succeeded in it, but that was the idea. The intention was never to forsake mainstream and do something in parallel cinema space. I liked the story and wanted to be true to it, and that’s what we have done.

A still from Pebbles aka Koozhangal.

The structure of Pebbles is different from what the mass audience is used to. Can you share what’s the origin of it?

It is based on a real-life experience. The difficulty you are talking about was indeed there. Over the years, a familiar screenplay structure has been formed by our films. On top of that, some structures are formed based on film theories. When I first shared the stories with friends, they found it strange due to the lack of a reference. That discussion went on. I don’t like the first act. I believe a film should start from the second act, and as it progresses, we should be told the backstory visually. That’s what I want to follow. So, when I narrate the film to someone who follows the usual structures and film theories, it becomes confusing to them. For example, no one could accept that the ‘woman’ on the bus gets down and leaves randomly. I was told, ‘You introduced this guy and we are following him. Don’t bring in a parallel character, it would make us get disoriented from the story.’ To me… I haven’t shown the character Shanthi at all in the film. So, all these women in the film are representations of her. If she had been there, this is how she would be… that was the idea. So, I didn’t follow any theory or structure. I did what I liked.

Mom and daughter hunting rats in Pebbles.

That was brilliantly conveyed. All the women in the film are indeed the epitome of patience. On the other hand, all men are angry. Do you think that’s how we are?

I didn’t go into the subject of gender and its problems. My idea is to show an environment and how it has shaped men and women differently. I never intended to depict women in a sad light… seeking sympathy. If you see, in that arid landscape, there is a spring water. The women are extremely patient to draw water from it. They get that patience from the land. That’s why in the last shot, they all are sitting like a Buddha. And the same land has made the men different. He gets alcohol from a ‘petti kadai’ (petty shop). Things come to him easily.

Tell us about the actor who played Ganapathy. He has done a fantastic job.

His name is Karuthadaiyaan. He is basically a writer. When I was making plays, he used to act in it. When I was making the film, I thought it would be great if he played the role. Karuthadaiyaan and the small boy (Chellapandi) are the assets of the film. Without those two, Pebbles wouldn’t have happened.

Karuththadaiyaan and Chellapandi in Pebbles aka Koozhangal.

Heat plays a huge role in the film. I thought the lead character was always angry because of the sun. Tell us more about its role.

I had to show their life and how heat affects every aspect of their being. We told ourselves that the sun should be the first layer of the film. The landscape should be the second character. Only then it should be about people. For example, the rat hunting sequence is something we saw in that landscape that affected us a lot. That’s why we made it a part of the film. I had to show their lives. It is easy to judge Ganapathy (Karuththadaiyaan) as this angry alcoholic. However, he is a person made by the environment and the landscape he is born into.

The arid landscape of a village in South Tamil Nadu in Pebbles.

There is a scene where Ganapathy hurts his toe seeing something (not shown to the audience) that’s scary. Weren’t you worried that the audience would get confused about its meaning?

Not at all. It is a very rooted belief in villages. They say ‘Uchi veyil la veliya pogatha Muni (village deity) adiuchudum’ (Don’t go out in peak sun, Muni will hit you). There are a lot of such things, which I get even today. So, I never thought it would become strange to the audience.

How is your next film Kottukkaali coming along?

It stars Soori anna and it is like Pebbles, a simple story. Let’s see if something good happens to it as well.

The teaser of Kottukkaali has a scene where the character is sitting in the auto and a rooster shakes its neck. Do you wait for such moments or it happens?

(Laughs) You can’t get those without waiting. I told the scene and everyone said it was a good one and worth the wait. We do follow certain techniques to get the rooster to do it. But in the end, it will do only if it wants to. We have to just wait.

Lastly, we are all generations of men brought up by women. We spend more time with moms than dads. Then why do we end up oppressing the same gender that brought us up?

That’s how it has always been. If you see what’s being made around us… right from advertisements… everything is made with men as the focus. So, how would someone growing up in this environment react? He would assume, he is the big guy here. The films that come out of here also are male-centric. So, what else can we expect? Maybe, when Velu (Chellapandi) grows up he won’t be like his father. That’s the progress we should move toward.