Close to eight decades, we as a nation have not just celebrated the day of our independence but also the struggle for freedom. Beneath the glory of the independence struggle lies the indomitable spirit to fight against the shackles. This primal instinct to seek freedom from any form of oppression is present, not just in every living being, but also across any societal structures and industries.
Freedom might mean different things to different people. And everybody might be going through their own personal crusade, to fight for independence. As for those in the film industry, their concerns are varied and focused towards the overall betterment of an industry that they all love and cherish. To mark the 78th Independence Day, we reached out to several film personalities to ask what they think the Tamil film industry still needs independence from.
SU Arunkumar, Director
Films should be free from class divisions. People shouldn’t classify films as small films and big films. That’s when all the films will get equal reception. This form of classification might kill the hype for a smaller film even before it garners good word of mouth. I also hope people do not stereotype directors and think a director will only do one kind of film. And I certainly hope the weight of social responsibility is lifted off our shoulders. After all, we are just filmmakers, we shouldn’t have a huge responsibility. Of course, we shouldn’t be irresponsible and we do recognise the huge influence this art form has on people. However, the audience should also never be quick to judge the filmmakers and understand that we are also humans prone to error.
Vignesh Karthick, Actor/Director
As a filmmaker, I need freedom from censorship. The minute I think of a bold concept for a film, the first thing that comes to my mind is the censor board and whether they would allow my concept without cuts. And even if the head of the board finds our content non-problematic, he/she will have to consider the opinions of other people in the board who object to the content. And the problem is the criteria with which they object. I understand if they censor content that hurts communities or sentiments. But even a slight satire against a government, for example, is censored. Then we as filmmakers are forced to make films with the usual tropes, with a hero, a villain, a romance angle, etc. I’m not sure if a film like PK will be released today, because the censor board is very clear about what we as filmmakers should and should not address.
Kushboo Sundar, Actor/Politician
I think Tamil cinema should allow producers to breathe. They need a breather. They sometimes feel choked because of the business concerning OTT. Most of them find it difficult to produce films because of the need to sell their streaming and digital rights before releasing the film and that puts undue pressure on them. So I think we need to bring back the normalcy where producers were able to make films with a greater sense of freedom. You cannot make films until and unless OTT and satellite rights are sold first, which is the reality of the situation right now. The producers do not have the healthy freedom to do their work, multiple factors constrict them and I hope that changes
Vijay Milton, Director
As a director, I view cinema as an art form but the producer will view it as a potentially profit-making enterprise. I am amazed by how this industry brings people with entirely different sensibilities to collaborate. A director cannot function freely in an environment driven by profit and success. The day when a producer tells a director not to worry about the results and asks him/her just to bring their vision to reality, I bet Tamil cinema will meet global standards. Throughout the history of cinema, the films that have stood the test of time and pushed boundaries are those that emerged from directors who are free from the result-orientated filmmaking process. Directors carrying the anxiety similar to that of a desperate salesman to sell a product have only done damage to the film industry.
Prabhu Solomon, Director
What I think Tamil cinema should be liberated from are films with excessive violence. There was something called ‘Midtown Cinema’, popular in the 1970s and 1990s. That kind of cinema is more connected to the roots, to the common man. That era of Tamil cinema, where every Friday was a celebration. Films like Poovizhi Vaasalile, Bommukutty Ammavukku and Poove Poochadava connected with the common man emotionally. Such films, which are pleasant and also have food for thought, are no longer made. I want Faazil, K Balachander and Bharathiraja kind of films now. I will not wholly blame the audience for it, they are very much open to different films, and they are waiting for a feel-good film. However, filmmakers are taking the easy route of staging one action sequence after another. Violent films becoming hits is not validation.
Vasanth Ravi, Actor
To do a project peacefully, all the parties involved in the project should be on the same page, creatively. A star always gets the space to express his or her opinion to a filmmaker. However, as up-and-coming actors or supporting actors, we are not given the opportunity to voice our opinions about our roles or the film’s scripts. My opinion may be right, wrong, invaluable or useful; it doesn’t even have to be implemented. However, I wish filmmakers were open to listening to the opinion or suggestion of an actor. Filmmakers are largely ready to listen to the suggestions and ideas of a star. As an actor, it would even help me evolve when I have such discussions and I am allowed to express my ideas. I say this on behalf of other actors as well. This is a freedom an actor should have irrespective of how big of an actor they are or how big their part is in the film.
Thamari, Lyricist
According to me, the most problematic thing right now in the Tamil film industry is the fascination for English. Even the film titles are in English. Sometimes, when they call me to work on a film, I wonder whether the film is an English film or a Tamil film. I could undersdstand if they had found an extraordinary English title but sometimes these films have really plain English titles. When asked why, they say it is for a pan-Indian appeal. If they do this for a big film it is understandable but I don’t understand why they do it for smaller films as well. Our Tamil industry especially has low self-esteem, and I hope they shed that. There was a time when people used films to instil patriotism and love for Tamil culture through film songs but nowadays even Tamil lyricists do not know proper Tamil.
Pradeep Kumar, Singer/Producer
In my opinion, freedom is an illusion. Like any other industry, the cinema industry also doesn’t have a level playing ground. I think any artist will go through some or the other struggle to come up in life. Personally, I feel and wish that an artist or creator should have the freedom to create and explore what they want to. They should be able to do it without any fear or inhibition. Inherently freedom is there for artists to explore and do what they like, but if you ask me, the concept of freedom itself is an illusion. As another wish, I want the industry to get freedom from packages. For example, a film is a package with theatrical release, digital rights, OTT rights, satellite rights, etc. The industry is full of such packages that in some way are a curtailment to freedom. Additionally, it would be great if the media extended more support to films of smaller commercial value.
(With inputs from Prashanth Vallvan, Jayabhuvaneshwari B, Akshay Kumar, Sreejith Mullapilly)