Director Prasath Murugesan’s crime drama web series Mathagam premiered in August. Five episodes into the series, just as the audience prepare for the face-off between the protagonists DCP Ashwath (Atharvaa) and Padaalam Sekar (Manikandan), the series ended abruptly. Of course, there were more episodes left, but the streaming partner decided to split the series right in the middle without preparing the audience for it. Though this decision to hold back the remaining episodes was censured by a section of the audience, Prasath shares that the move worked in favour of the series in hindsight. “Mathagam is a slow-burn crime drama which is best consumed as a binge-watch. I had planned the high moments of the narrative to suit this format. But the streaming partners believed there is value in holding back the second half for a later release date to amplify the hype among the audience and going by the numbers, the strategy has worked indeed. However, if I had the awareness about their release plan I would have reworked the screenplay in a way that every episode ended with a bang.”
Episodes 6 and 7 of the series will be out this Friday, and the final episodes will be released a week later. While most filmmakers aim to pack such police-gangster stories with ample action, Prasath was quite economical with the usage of stunts in the episodes so far. “In real life, cops chasing gangsters isn’t a rare occurrence, but they don’t get into fistfights every single time. So I wanted the series to stay realistic without going over the top. The upcoming episodes have lots of guns and explosions, but it is an extraordinary situation in the story that demanded such a level of action,” he says.
Prasath made many similar bold choices in Mathagam, which include the excessive focus on the supporting characters, unorthodox placement of songs and inclusion of profanity in the dialogues. “Firstly, I wanted to immerse the audience in a web of crime and for that, I had to give them a taste of the crimes that are common in this world and the people committing them. Though a section of the audience saw the idea of incorporating crime records as a character introduction technique, I intended it to be a narrative tool. As you know Mathagam revolves around a mass gathering of rowdies in the city for a larger organised crime, so I had to ensure that every character on screen had a personality and unique crime record,” he shares, going on to address the issue of the high dose of cuss words. “Many felt that I should have gone easy with the profanity. I accept the criticism and I’ll keep their suggestions in mind. Also, I realised that content targeted at the adult audience is invariably watched by kids too since OTTs take stories straight to the houses. In fact, someone complained that he was unable to consume the series without trepidation because his young son was playing in the adjacent room. These are genuine concerns. I didn’t think it through when I penned and shot Mathagam.”
Though Prasath is not a fan of casting actors based on their appearances, he believes in making additions to the script based on the inherent traits of his characters. The rheumatoid arthritis condition of Dhivyadharshini’s Safia or the overtone of philosophy in Manikandan’s Sekar are extensions of their real life. “I was a bit hesitant when I approached Dhivyadarshini with the idea of incorporating the medical condition as an element in the script, but she readily accepted it. In the case of Manikandan, I felt he was in sync with Sekar’s philosophical takes, so I just had to amp it up at parts.” Despite being a battle of men, the stand-out character of Mathagam turned out to be Nikhila Vimal’s Vaidhehi. The new mother, struggling with post-partum stress syndrome left a long-lasting impression on the audience. Prasath assures that the character has a lot more to offer in the remaining episodes too. “When I designed Vaidhehi, I didn’t want her to be a one-note character. I didn’t want post-partum stress syndrome to be her sole identity. Even though she is a vital character, she has her own set of challenges that are distant from the main conflict. I found it to be interesting and worked on it. I am glad that people received her the way I expected.”
Prasath promises that the upcoming episodes will be about the ‘party’ which was hyped in the first part of the series and trace its after effects.
“The tease is over and the remaining part will focus on the drops and resolutions. It is a story that we all know, but the treatment and characters are what I hope to elevate the rest of the series,” he signs off.