Pa Vijay Interview: We shouldn’t make a film for the sake of saying a message
Lyricist Pa Vijay has penned some of Tamil cinema’s most memorable chartbusters like ‘Karuppudhan Enakku Pidicha’, ‘Athinthom’, ‘Athan Varuvaga’, and ‘June Ponal'. However, even with 30 years in the film industry and thousands of songs to his name, the lyricist has an unquenchable thirst. “I have always wanted to become a filmmaker. It was present from the time I entered the industry to write songs for K Bhagyaraj’s films as an assistant,” he reveals, adding, “I didn’t have the right opportunity as my career as a lyricist took a monumental shift and travelled at light’s speed with steady growth.” Little did he know that he would finally make the plunge years into his journey.
The director now sits down to discuss his third film Aghathiyaa, starring Jiiva, Arjun, and Raashii Khanna in lead roles, what he learned from his filmmaking journey, how he keeps his lyrics fresh, and more.
Excerpts:
There has evidently been a lot of work done on the VFX front for Aghathiyaa. Can you talk about the decision to make a visual effects heavy film?
We have seen a number of horror-comedy films over the years but I wanted to move away from the template we are used to. Inspired by the Harry Potter franchise and Doctor Strange films, I decided to add fantasy elements to my film. Almost 90 minutes of Aghathiyaa has VFX in it, which was worked on by 14 CGI companies and about 500 technicians for 14 months.
VFX involves a lot of time and money. What are the challenges that you faced in this journey?
A lot of green matte shots had to be replaced with CGI, to make it look like how Pondicherry looked like a hundred years ago. Sometimes, our thoughts and imaginations may not necessarily translate on VFX. For instance, there is a scene where seven planets align in one line. To our surprise, the same event occurred on the release day. It was a happy coincidence.
While you are aiming for Hollywood standards, the story also needs to be rooted to connect with the audience…
The story speaks about the glory of our soil and the knowledge that our ancestors passed on to us and raises questions about what we are doing with it. We have strived to make it relatable for all audiences. For instance, turmeric has been growing in our soil for thousands of years, it has been in use since then, but it is now legally patented in the US. The film touches upon all these aspects.
There is also a fine line between sharing a message and being preachy…
We were very clear about that. The message is like salt here. If there is no salt, there would be no flavour in the meal, but that should not overpower it. I learnt this lesson when I made my second film Aaruthra, that we shouldn’t make a film for the sake of saying a message.
You have admitted in several interviews that you didn't make the right choices for your debut film, Strawberry (2015). How did you incorporate your learnings into your subsequent films?
I was not ashamed to admit that. Once I knew what not to do, I got the clarity of what to do. Each film is an experience. Even when you’re writing a song, you would feel that you could have written a different word after you have finished writing it. With respect to direction, the experience that I gained in making my first two films, led me in the right path for Aghathiyaa.
Be it ‘Oyaayiye’, ‘Mobile ah’, ‘Kilimanjaro’, ‘Dora Dora’, ‘Latcham Calorie’ or even ‘My Dear Loveru’, there has always been a touch of modernity in your lyrics. How do you do that while holding onto your Tamil roots strongly?
I always keep myself updated while writing lyrics. Legendary late lyricist Vaali taught me that a creator must never become old. Only when his creations resonate with the audience of the generation, will they like him and keep searching for his works. That’s why he was able to write songs that were fresh for decades. We need to understand the pulse of the audience and have the talent to know what they like. That ensures our longevity.
For several films, you have written songs for the entire album. How do you ensure that they stand out while you deliver the combined flavour of the album?
It is indeed a challenge. Sometimes you write lyrics for the same actor. The same line which you have used earlier shouldn’t get repeated and at the same time, you need to be careful to not use someone else’s lyrics. At least with music, you can make a few tweaks to your previously created tune. With lyrics, if we repeat our line, people would notice it.
Today, lyrics and music are made for reels, with more focus on virality. How do you see this?
This is just a phase and that doesn’t mean that this will become permanent. There is a possibility that this trend will change as well. This is a cycle. Sometimes, melodies become famous and later, at one point, blaring kuthu songs take over. We can’t say this is right or wrong. In this race, whoever comes first, wins.
Over the last few years, there has been a lot of debate on copyright laws. Even in your film, the remixed version of the yesteryear hit ‘En Iniya Pon Nilave’ received a copyright strike. As a lyricist who works with multiple composers, how do you see this challenge?
We loved placing Ilayaraaja’s ‘En Iniya Pon Nilave’ remixed by Yuvan Shankar Raja in the film. The song elevated the story and its visuals. Our moods became sombre as we received a copyright strike and were asked to remove it. Then, Vels Film International purchased the audio rights from the label as well as from Ilaiyaraaja. Now that the song is in the film, we are ecstatic. With songs of that era, there is an added challenge as producers would have sold it to people whom we may not know and it is tricky to find who owns the rights. If the owners had drafted the right agreement, this issue would not have happened.
After 21 years, Cheran’s Autograph is set to be re-released. Even today, your ‘Ovvoru Pookalume’ song continues to live as an evergreen uplifting song. How do these songs remain through the decades?
I will quote Vaali again. When the song became a hit, he said, ‘I don’t know about other songs but decades later, when they play top ten songs in Tamil cinema that have stayed through time, your ‘Ovvoru Pookalume’ song will surely have a place.’ I don’t know if it was a blessing from the universe or if it filled the void inside people’s hearts, but it has become an immortal song.