‘Thrillers shouldn’t rely on twists’

Director Mani Seiyon and actors Tanya Hope and Trichy Saravana Kumar speak about their recent film Vallan, the thriller genre, its supposed limitations, and more
A still from Vallan
A still from Vallan
Updated on
3 min read

Director Mani Seiyon, who made his debut with Kattappava Kaanum, recently returned to the theatres with an investigation thriller, Vallan, starring Sundar C in the lead. The film has been in production since 2022. He says, “Had the film been released in 2022, Vallan would have been just an informative film, but today it will also touch your emotions. So I would call this a sweet delay.”

Elaborating on that, the director reveals that eventhough concepts employed in a thriller are outdated, if they drive the narration forward, people wouldn’t really mind it. “Scenes where characters find clues through CCTV footage might be cliched, but if that is key in cracking a case, I cannot avoid it. I believe that the thumb rule in writing a thriller is that it should organically unravel the suspense instead of relying on twists.

Thrillers written in such a manner will stand the test of time. I wrote Vallan in such a way.” The director is joined by actors Trichy Saravana Kumar AKA TSK and Tanya Hope. Both the actors confess their love for thrillers. Tanya says the final act revelations that happen in a thriller are more exciting than a rom-com.

“Even performance-wise, thrillers are more demanding and I like the challenge. Rom-coms are made from the situations you face and the emotions you express every day, for which you require no training. Whereas the cop role I did in Ranam last year was the exact opposite. I would pick that one as my favourite over all the regular girlfriend roles,” says Tanya.

TSK, who is known for comedy skits and mimicry performances since his television days, says he doesn’t feel bad about moving away from lighter roles post-Lubber Pandhu. The actor says, “Truth be told, I want every kind of role that would develop the actor in me. I love comedy, but that wasn’t the choice I made when I began performing in college.

Funny dramas and mimicry performances are expected in such events; that’s how I got into comedy.” He added that it was director Shanmugham (Diesel, Adangathey) who pushed him to do serious roles. “He once told me on the sets of Adangathey that I can do more with my Dravidian features. That is how I got the confidence to do Lubber Pandhu.”

The actor adds on a cautious note that he is looking for character-oriented roles and not just lead roles. “I was told there aren’t many character artists in the 30-35 age bracket and that I had the potential to capitalise on this untapped space. Offers to play the lead are coming my way but I am very picky about that. I will choose a lead role only if I am convinced that I am perfect for the role. Also, I want to do comedy as well,” he adds, saying that there needs to be a balance between comedy and intense films.

On working with a seasoned director like Sundar C, Mani says he was nervous for the first two days. “He is a master, and I approached him like a student. There are two kinds of actors: one who would give their fullest and bring about improvisation seeing the calibre of the director and the other who will be a part of the shoot just for the sake of it if they see no spark in a director. Thankfully, Sundar sir, being an experienced filmmaker, acknowledged my work and let things function as per my plan and gave his full cooperation to the shoot,” he says.

The director then goes on to talk about the inspiration and the work that went into crafting Vallan. “I am deeply inspired by David Fincher’s Seven. I have researched for Vallan intensely and I was disturbed reading about serial killers. To be honest, the romantic portions of the film worked like therapy after filming the violent portions left me overwhelmed,” he signs off.

Related Stories

No stories found.

X
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com