Agent Kannayiram will prove Santhanam has outgrown his image as a comedian: Manjo Beedha

Will Agent Kannayiram also be an experimental film like Vangar Ulagam?

No. Agent Kannayiram is a well-packaged and simple film. I would say it is a proper commercial film about an unassuming guy, who wants to become a private detective. Just because Santhanam, who is usually seen in comedy movies, is playing a normal non-comical protagonist, Agent Kannayiram is seen as an experimental movie. But that’s not the case. Unlike Vanjagar Ulagam, which was designed differently, Agent Kannayiram is a straightforward movie.

Can you tell what the film is about in one or two lines?

Agent Kannayiram is about a guy who has a troublesome relationship with his mother. It’s about the conversation he never had with his mother when she was alive. He comes to a resolution by solving this case. That’s what I have tried. Only the audience should say if it has worked (laughs).

Private detectives in our country, unlike movies, get cases mostly to do with marital affairs and background checks. How have you designed Agent Kannayiram?

Kannayiram is someone who wants to become a private detective. But if you ask me if he has the skill sets for that, the answer is no (laughs). He is a normal guy with average aptitude. He is not someone who will crack cases like some super-intelligent guy like Sherlock. Having said that, he has some capabilities to put things together.

Who are your inspirations?

I have worked with the late director SP Jananathan in Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai. I learnt how to use cinema to tell my opinion. I also did a filmmaking course. But it all comes down to how you use the medium. I feel the medium is evolving. People want to see movies like they consume Insta Reels. We had the temperament to watch a three-and-a-half-hour-long movie. Now, if someone says his movie is three hours long, it is deemed a flop on day 1. Even Mani Ratnam sir changed his style for Ponniyin Selvan 1, which was designed in a way that is continuously progressive and it is a bit choppy. That’s not his style. He takes time with certain moments. So, he is catering to the audience of today. However, one cannot make movies like Reels. If one is forced to do so, then it means things are in bad shape.

Seasoned comedy actors like Vivekh, Vadivelu and Santhanam have unique body language that is comical. Is it hard to direct them in a non-comical role?

If we had had any other hero instead of Santhanam, we would have worked on hiding his body language. So, it is not about Santhanam’s demeanor. Santhanam would enhance and exaggerate his actions to be funny in other films, but he hasn’t done that in Agent Kannayiram. That’s the only difference between his other films and Agent Kannayiram. I think he broke that comedian image with Gulu Gulu. However, Agent Kannayiram will prove that Santhanam has evolved and outgrown his image as a comedian to become a full-fledged actor, who can anchor an emotional film.

Also starring Riya Suman and Sruthi Hariharan, and with music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, Agent Kannayiram is releasing in theatres on November 25.