His Vaaranam Ayiram released amidst great expectations from an audience who have raised him to cult figure status after Khaaka Khaaka and Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu.
But his film received mixed responses.
The audiences are coming in steadily even into the third week but critics have ripped the film. How have these mixed reactions affected ace director Gautham Vasudev Menon? Expresso decided to find out.
Vaaranam Aayiram is a semiautobiographical saga, with vignettes of an ordinary life woven together in an extraordinary way by a master craftsman.
Add to that the superlative inputs of a dedicated cast and crew and you have a pathbreaking movie in Tamil cinema.
It takes guts to go against the popular stream and make a film you believe in, in an industry fraught with stereotypes, a star culture and commercial constraints of playing to the gallery.
Gautham has managed to do go against the tide to make a film close to his heart.
But box office collections are equally important in an industry where your success alone is your calling card. So how does a director like him, driven more by his creative urges fare in this scenario? Says Gautham, “If people still want to work with me then it means that whatever I am doing is working. If I sign all the offers I have received in the last two days, I will be booked for the next 2 ½ years! ” Clearly, all the harsh comments haven’t dimmed his penchant to make more films nor affected his prospects in the industry.
But Gautham is not taking up any of the offers, “I start shooting Chennaiyil Oru Mazhakalam which will complete 35% in December. After that I am going to produce my own film. In the second half of 2009 I have a film for Ocher Studios.
Amitabh Bachchan has seen the script. It is based on a book. We are awaiting his reply.” Gautham has taken all the criticism about Vaaranam in his stride but its clear that he is hurting. “I am open to criticism and I myself have spoken about other films in the past. I have received unfairly harsh comments that seem like a drive to put me down purposely! But I make films for audiences, not critics. And the audiences are coming in even in the third week.” Vaaranam is not just an urban flick according to Gautham.“Between last Wednesday and Sunday, there have been 70% collections in the small areas outside the cities. I knew that the mature audiences would start coming in after the initial days. Who are we to categorise audiences into A, B or C centres and decide what works for them?,”says he.
Does that mean Vaaranam will bring in the moolah for everyone? According to Gautham, “The producer has made his money and hopefully the distributors will too. We didn’t hike the film’s rates and sell at a hefty price. We accepted whatever the distributors offered and sold on a minimum gurarantee basis.” So is there a ‘brand Gautham’ emerging which carries the tag of a certain kind of urban, slick film? “Not at all. I don’t believe in being put on a pedestal. I am only five films old. I am not toeing any line. Each of my films have been different. I am just satisfying my creative urges. But of course money also needs to be made and I want people to come to the theatres.” But Gautham has decided to play the game his own way in future. “I have reached a stage where I can produce my own films and I want to do that. Many new producers are interested in tying up with me. I want to direct, produce, distribute and release my own films. This way I can make the type of films I want to,” he elaborates. And what type of films does he want to make? “I don’t want to be slotted.
I want to make films of any genre that excites me, touches or moves me,” he concludes.
LETS GET CRITICAL
REACTING to the harsh comments from critics, Gautham says, “I am proud of Vaaranam. I discovered myself through this film. I felt I have arrived.
Contrary to what people say, it’s not just about my family. A lot of thought went into this film and everyone from the producer to Suriya, Harris and my team believed in it completely.
We went by our instinct. We didn’t not worry about whether it will work or not. But from the mail and messages Suriya and I have got, it’s clear people are relating to it.” Gautham lists off the complaints against his film and clarifies his stand.
“Critics feel that it’s a city film where characters speak English and the father is an ordinary man with no heroic qualities and the son only praises him throughout. But they forget that death triggers off memories of the good times. Krishnan was a hero to his son because he lets him discover his life on his own terms. I never had any conflict with my dad, I myself went to US to pursue my love and I wanted to join the army though I came to films ultimately. But I never smoked or took drugs. I took cinematic licence with that part.” Will people in rural areas relate to his film? Gautham replies, “Why not? I don’t know anyone like Paruthiveeran for instance. But I enjoyed the film thoroughly.
When I can be transported to the world of Paruthiveeran , why can’t audiences be transported into my world of the Krishnan family? When Tamil audiences can be transported into alien lifestyles of dubbed English films why can’t they relate to what I have shown? Who are critics to decide what A, B or C centre audiences will like?” He elaborates further, “I wanted to show a heroine more intelligent than the hero, a father and son with no conflict (like my own) and a hero going all the way to America for his love like I myself did. It is based on reality. Why is that so hard to believe?” To his critics all Gautham says is, “Who knows, maybe I may have the urge to make a fully rural film in pure Tamil one day. I wonder what my critics will say then.”
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