Exclusive! Seththumaan Director Thamizh Opens Up About His Upcoming Film With Uriyadi Vijayakumar

After the tremendous reach of his critically acclaimed debut film Seththumaan, director Thamizh has already completed the shoot of his next film with Uriyadi Vijay Kumar as the lead. In Seththumaan (2022), he created a unique film language to deliver his message. Most of the scenes were composed as a single shot. The film bagged many awards at film festivals across the globe even before its release and made the film buffs and audience eagerly await the release.

Seththumaan was produced by Pa Ranjith's Neelam Productions, which created the attention it needed in the industry. They released Seththumaan on the OTT platform Sony LIV directly without a theatrical release. The film turned out to be very good, and people loved it for the content and its making. It was received very well by the audience, and word-of-mouth was the only publicity tool that took the film to a larger audience. In his busy post-production schedule, director Thamizh gave an exclusive interview to FilmiBeat.

Here are the excerpts of the interview with exclusive on-spot working images of his upcoming film.

What is the storyline of your upcoming film?

The story is about how politics damages the life of normal people in small villages and panchayats of Tamil Nadu. It also deals with families, ego and vengeance.

Why did you choose Uriyadi director Vijay Kumar as the lead?

I felt that he is an actor who could easily understand the politics involved in this story since he directed Uriyadi, which is a brilliant political film. When I narrated the script to him, he liked it very much as I expected and the film happened.

Who are the other important actors in your new film?

Pavel Navageethan has a prominent role in this film. Preethi Asrani, Richa Joshi, Mariam George and Vathikuchi Diliban play meaty roles. Apart from them, I have introduced a lot of new actors in this film. All of them are just brilliant with their performances. They will create their own space in the industry for sure.

What kind of films do you want to direct going forward?

I want to do films for myself. When I start thinking about satisfying someone else, I start losing my satisfaction and finally I end up coming back to my way of making it. Whereas, I'm extremely happy and enjoy the complete process when I do films in a way that I love. My films are based on the life of normal people, which is too close to reality and I always want to do such films.

How do you select your actors?

Half of my work is done when I select the right actors. It's a long process. Sometimes, I have made some changes in the casting even a day before the shoot and it has helped me a lot. I need interesting and unique faces for my films. It will be surprising for the audience. I will choose an actor only when I'm convinced by his or her look and performance.

Where did you shoot your upcoming film and why?

Writer Azhagiya Periyavan and his friend Ezhil, who is a school teacher, supported a lot in finding the perfect locations for this film. Arangaldurgam near Ambur is the landscape of the film. We shot almost 90 per cent of the film in Arangaldurgam and the balance portions in Pernambut. We incorporated the slang of Arangaldurgam in the script since we set the story there.

How did actor Pavel Navageethan come on board?

After watching Seththumaan, Pavel met me and appreciated the film. By then, I already had an actor for this particular role. Over a period of time, for some reason that actor couldn't do it. So again, I went in search of actors and was not satisfied with anyone. Suddenly Pavel came to my mind. Since I already know about his proven performance in Madras, Kutram Kadithal, Magalir Mattum, Boomika and a lot other films, I approached him immediately. He read the script and said yes within a couple of days. I felt so happy about that and started working. Right from the rehearsals, his efforts and support towards the film were tremendous. His suggestions and improvements really brought a lot of value to the film. He is one such actor who will adapt to any given situation on the sets. I could say that this film has given Pavel as an asset to all of us. We earned him.

Both Pavel Navageethan and Vijay Kumar are directors as well. So, they will naturally give a lot of suggestions. I love to discuss with them and come up with my decision finally.

Who are the major technicians working on your upcoming film?

Mahendran Jayaraj is the cinematographer. He has already worked on 96, a blockbuster film. CS Premkumar is our film editor. He edited my previous film Seththumaan, National Award-winning film Kutram Kadithal, Magalir Mattum, House Owner, and a lot more. Govind Vasantha is the music composer and Stunner Sam is our stunt choreographer. Radhika and Sri Krish did dance choreography for us. The dialogues were written by Azhagiya Periyavan, Vijay Kumar and me. I did the screenplay and directed the film.

Can you explain the pre-production and production process?

It took 10 months for us to find the perfect locations and 25 days to complete the rehearsals. It became possible for us to shoot the film in a single 62-day schedule only because of our well-planned pre-production. I can assure you that it saved a minimum 10 per cent of our overall production cost. The villagers were too supportive and they made us feel like one among them during the production.

How was your experience working with writers Perumal Murugan and Azhagiya Periyavan?

For this film, as I don't know about the slang of the Arangaldurgam people, I approached writer Azhagiya Periyavan for the dialogues. Seththumaan was a combination of two short stories, Varukari and Maapu Kodukkonum Saamy, written by Perumal Murugan. He wrote the dialogues for the film as well. I'm grateful to both the writers for their extraordinary work in my films. They have contributed a lot to the Tamil community with their literature. I personally look at them as my teachers.

How has your journey been in the cinema field so far?

Director Cheran was my inspiration to get into cinema. I worked with director Venkat Prabhu in Biriyani. Pa Ranjith is the most important person in my journey. He trusted me and produced my film Seththumaan. His name as a producer helped a lot to promote the film. And now, I'm done with the shooting of my next film produced by Reel Good Films featuring Uriyadi Vijay Kumar as the lead.

What is your advice to independent filmmakers and upcoming producers?

Pa Ranjith was there to produce for me, but it won't happen to everyone. According to me, if someone has only Rs 50 lakh and is investing everything to make a film, it is not advisable. At the same time, I will appreciate it if someone has Rs 10 crore and is ready to invest Rs 50 lakh in a film. Because this lobby-filled world of Tamil cinema is too dangerous for an independent filmmaker to survive.

What is your take on the recent flops at the box office across film industries?

People nowadays look for unique and interesting content-based films but most of the producers are not focusing on the content. Instead, they focus only on popular actors. I see this as the main reason for continuous flops at the box office. I'm sure if a film is good, people will celebrate it.

What is your opinion on the Bollywood vs South Indian films debate?

I love films like The Lunchbox and Kahaani. But nowadays, I don't find such films in Bollywood. They try to make only big-budget films with poor content. Whereas in south India, especially in the Malayalam industry, a lot of small-budget films are made with brilliant scripts.

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