Exclusive | H Vinoth: Ajith has tried a lot of different things in Thunivu

How is it to work with one hero for about five years?

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. It is pretty comfortable for me, so why not? To put it even more bluntly, the hero is giving me a chance to work with him for this long. So, I took it. Also, with any professional relationship, there will be small arguments and misunderstandings. Sometimes, his suggestions were right and sometimes mine were. But it comes down to trust. The belief that he has in me, and vice versa.

Can you recall one such argument between you two?

We never had such big arguments. I prefer to call them ‘discussions’ rather than arguments. Such discussions are organic. If he suggests something, and I want to do something else, I would tell him once. If I insist the second time, he will take it. He had the same freedom. However, I have to be confident with my suggestions.

It is said that there was a three-film deal between Vinoth, Ajith, and Boney Kapoor.

There’s no truth to that. In fact, I narrated the story of Thunivu only on the sets of Valimai, and Ajith liked it. People who are in no way related to the film are setting the plot and genre of the film, calling it the ‘biggest action thriller’ etc. Thunivu is a multi-genre film with songs, comedy, fights, and everything you expect from a commercial film. To put it one line, it is a game of the wicked.

Is it on the lines of Ajith’s 2011 blockbuster Mankatha?

I don’t want to compare it to any films. Ajith has tried a lot of different things in this film with respect to body language and dialogue delivery.

Immediately after your first two films –Sathuranga Vettai and Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru–stardom found you. Did it stress you out?

I am the same person I was before. That’s one of the complaints I keep hearing at home: ‘Why are you not behaving like a star?’ or ‘Why are you not dressing that way?’ I think it doesn’t bother or impact my life one bit.

From the poster to airport pictures, everything about Ajith becomes a talking point. Are you saying that’s not stressing you out while making the film?

Maybe, for the first few days, I do wonder about all that. But how long can you keep thinking about it and be under stress (laughs)? After a point, I am like I will do whatever I can. See, the demand is huge. Millions are out there having their own imaginations and desire that Ajith should act in a film of their liking. With the globalization of content consumption, people are watching things from across the world. The language and political borders have been smashed. The phenomenon first came to business sectors like the automobile industry and IT industry, now, with the advent of OTT, it has come to cinema too. So, fans, after consuming a lot of content, expect their heroes to do the same. They demand a Baahubali or RRR-level collection, and in doing so, they are forgetting the age, abilities, and limitations of the stars. If you are forcing all these expectations on your hero, you are only stressing him out. If another star is able to fight and dance well, one shouldn’t expect the same from his/her hero. He is also getting old, isn’t he? Even Prabhudheva master is not able to dance like he used to, right? Image is like a balloon, you can blow it up to an extent, and if the limit is exceeded, it will burst! So, it is better to watch a given film and say whether it is good or bad, rather than dictating to heroes.

You seem to have a great understanding of things around you. For example, the way you contextualized ‘OTT as the globalization of content consumption’. What’s the source of your learning?

Take any craftsman from a basket maker to a painter, they make the work look easy. It is the prowess of someone who keeps doing a job repeatedly. This is my thinking pattern, and I look at the world with such a perspective. So, it might look like it is coming naturally to me. Also, another filmmaker might be great at writing romance or someone might make an engaging film with a wafer-thin plot, it is all because of their respective thinking patterns. Also, I don’t think any film or work is a product of the director’s knowledge. It doesn’t even belong to the writers or the team working on the film. It’s the knowledge of the world and the generation. If the film succeeds, it is because of society. The same goes for a failed film. It is the collective failure of the world. That’s how I see it. The only thing an individual can do is choose the story and do it with conviction.

What’s your take on criticism?

Like cinema, criticism has also become a business. Earlier, reviews of a film came out three to four days after its release in dailies. People had a time window to make up their own minds about the film. Back then people used to say things like, ‘The film was doing good for those three days, and once the review was out, it lost the momentum’. In that scenario, people started trusting a bunch of critics, and they had to review a film considering the responsibility. Ever since the internet, YouTube, and Twitter came into the picture, the scene changed. It was about how fast the review is coming out and how funny or engaging it is. Seeing this, producers, instead of spending on print media, started pumping money into online promotions. With so much money, criticism has become a business. When anything turns into a business, how can you find absolute honesty there? Some are doing a good job with criticism, some aren’t. Yes, criticism does affect me as long as it is honest. But you can’t do anything about false rumours and fake news about a film personality. Maybe, you can call up and shout at the one who wrote the article. Nothing more than that. To be in the film business, you need a lot of tolerance.

Both you and Lokesh Kanagaraj got superstardom in a very short span, unlike the previous generation of directors. Is it a good thing or is it stressful?

It is not about whether it is good or bad. Earlier, it took years for a director to earn a name in the film industry and create his own era of sorts. Now, things are changing rapidly like mobile phones. We get a new model every few months. Currently, the young generation is trying to celebrate someone of their age. They want their contemporaries to win. Back then, the habit was to listen to the grown-ups (laughs). The old norm was that one can become a director only after assisting in about ten films. One has to know the basics of filmmaking. An assistant director would take at least two films to be able to see through the view-finder of a camera. In the digital era, everyone has their own camera in their hands. So, things that were once impossible started to happen in the palms of people. That led to producers taking risks with newcomers because they had some new ideas that can be done on a limited budget. Karthi Subbaraj came in with Pizza made on a budget of Rs 90 lakh. Then came Sudhu Kavvum of Nalan Kumarasamy, which became a blockbuster. Nobody knew what was happening with the industry trend.

Parallelly, the big stars, who were working with frequent collaborators, realised that the era of watching similar stories had ended. So, Rajinikanth sir took the first step by giving a chance to a youngster Pa Ranjith for Kabali. Seeing him, all the other stars followed suit. Vijay sir chose Atlee (for Theri) and Karthi star gave me and Lokesh Kanagaraj chances (for Kaithi and Theeran Adhigaram Ondru respectively). When the films worked, they turned out to be a step up for us, and a new trend emerged. This is all because of the rapid changes in the trend. On the other hand, it also has led to directors vanishing from the scene after one film.

What are the other downsides to this fast-changing trend?

Before mastering the craft and getting well-versed in terms of writing and scripts, we end up making big films. Instead of learning things beforehand, we end up experimenting with every other film, and that’s an issue.

What’s cinema according to you? Is a film just a product to you or is it an artwork?

Cinema is science. It is an engineering invention. However, it is used differently by different people. Some say it is for the people, some say it is art, and some say it is just for entertainment. To me, cinema is for my survival. In that, I try my best to be honest as a lot of people are involved in the film I am making.

This is your opinion about the films that you make. What are the kinds of films you enjoy watching?

I watch all kinds of films. During shoots, I watch on OTT platforms. I like films like Kadaisi Vivasayi, Periyerum Perumal, and Kuttram Kadithal.

So, would you want to make films like this, which are more about art?

No, I wouldn’t say I am this passionate filmmaker. I won’t say I was in love with cinema from childhood and things like that. Somewhere, I suddenly wanted to make films, like how one feels like going to a movie. I am still wondering why and when I wanted to make films. I don’t know.

Your last film with Ajith, Valimai, was criticised for not having the good traits of your previous films.

In all the previous interviews ahead of Valimai, I was asked whether Valimai was H Vinoth’s film or Ajith’s film, and I maintained that it is Ajith’s film and made for his market.

So, is Thunivu H Vinoth’s film or Ajith’s film?

I would say it will be a good film (laugh). From the start, I have been reiterating that it is a team effort.