Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
One reason why I've taken 11 years to make my second Hindi film is because I am comfortable working with the stars in the South, as they are with me.
The initial response to 'Yennai Arindhaal' was that it didn't have all the quintessential commercial elements, though I consider it as my most commercial venture.
I drove past one of the houses in Tiruvanmiyur and asked them if we could shoot there for 'Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya' because it seemed straight out of the pages of the script.
The industry doesn't usually say nice things about my work. My films take a while till they are accepted as good and I think 'Yennai Arindhaal' too will go through that phase.
I may have got a little carried away and many critics found fault with some aspects of the film, but as a coming of age film of a character, 'Vaaranam Ayiram' worked with the audience.
With Nani, what struck me was his confidence. It has been a revelation. Nani, the most confident actor and it is a pleasure to work with him. Will do a film with him anytime given a chance.
Ranbir was my first choice for 'Ek Deewana Tha.' I tried to get in touch in with. Forget about meeting Ranbir. I couldn't even meet his secretary. Yes, even the secretary refused to meet me.
What you feel about a film is what you feel when you're in love with a woman. You fight for her love and it's always a struggle... there are misunderstandings and you're always trying to prove that there's more to you.
Today, most big stars want scripts to be written in a particular way, show them in a certain light. They want people to like them for various reasons. It's all about how much people will like me in this film than about whether it's a good film or not.
Though I'm happy with the response to the film, I've been hearing the feedback that 'Yennai Arindhaal' has traces of my earlier films. It was meant to be like that. Since it's part of a trilogy, hence the reference to the other two films in the franchise.
I don't read the reviews because it somewhere affects my work. If some critic doesn't like a movie, I can't keep his criticisms in mind the next time I am making a film. Even if someone writes a great review about my film, I don't want to be affected by it.
There are people who've told me cinema is a visual medium and you don't need to say so much. When I write the script, all these lines of what the characters are thinking are written. Once the film is shot and the lines are dubbed, I tone it down in postproduction if I feel it gets heavy.
Even when 'Kaakha Kaakha' was released, there were people who gave it an average rating and said they couldn't figure out what was happening. Three days after its release, the producer called me and asked me to remove all of Jothika's scenes from the film. I told him; in that case, you can also remove my name from the director's slot.