You made your debut as an actor and director 33 years ago with Pudhiya Mugam... How do you look at your journey so far?
Pudhiya Mugam's subject is still fresh, the music is still fresh. I believe AR Rahman's work on the film, which was his second Tamil film after Roja (1992), featured some of the best melodies.
In fact, I wasn't supposed to play the lead in Pudhiya Mugam (1993). The songs were ready, the script was completed, but no actor was ready to get on board. Honestly, an actor doesn't take on a project or reject it based on the story only. Other factors, like how the story was narrated, also influence that decision. Probably, my narration wasn't good enough. So, I just decided to do it myself.
But has 33 years of experience changed you?
I am still the same person. In these past 33 years, not much has changed. You won't see me doing a lot of interviews or feature in a lot of video clips. I am a very private person and an introvert, and sometimes, I feel I am the wrong person to be in cinema.
You started your career as an associate cinematographer and have branched out to various positions on a film's set. But initially was the technical side of cinema your dream job?
Unlike today, you couldn't prepare for this job back then. There wasn't a degree called Visual Communications, and the only places to learn cinema were the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, or the MGR Government Film and Television Training Institute, Chennai. But since I was interested in photography, the natural progression in cinema was cinematography. So I joined cinematographer KS Prakash's team when he was working on Padaharella Vayasu (1978), the Telugu remake of Bharathiraja's 16 Vayathinile (1977). Then I joined Vijaya Vauhini Studios, which was one of Asia's biggest studios then, as an apprentice, under Marcus Bartley, who worked on films like Chemmeen (1965). In my journey, I was also able to work with actors like Rajinikanth, on Thee (1981) and Viduthalai (1986), and Kamal Haasan on Saval (1981), Vaazhve Maayam (1982). So all of these experiences really shaped me.
Speaking about Thee (1981), it was used as a reference for Coolie (2025). Do you remember how it was to be part of the 1981 film?
Portions of Thee (1981) were shot on the docks in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The same blue dress and the same style, but a different Rajinikanth, because he was 26-27 when he did it. It was also a new experience for me, because I was 20 while working on that film. Shooting something outside India was a rarity then. But I still remember Rajinikanth's kindness to everybody on set.
You have seen cinema evolve a lot over the years...
Back then, filmmaking was done carefully as it was shot on film. There were a lot of rehearsals, and we only took 2-3 takes. Directors and cinematographers were much more organised then. Now films are being made on the editing table, and the multi-camera setup, and the digital format leaves the editor with a lot more options.
But beyond that, to become a cameraman or a director, you had to have worked as an associate or an assistant on films for 8-10 years and gain that experience. But you don't have that culture now. Even then, there are two ways of looking at it... cinema has become democratised, and anyone can make a film. But the other perspective is that people are learning on the job rather than learning and then working. So I wouldn't fault anyone.
But with all your experience on the technical side of things, how do you view the future of Tamil cinema?
Filmmakers today have great tools at their dispense for almost every aspect of filmmaking, including cinematography, editing, sound design, and colour correction. Now, artificial intelligence has entered the game as well. So it will be more scientifically assisted filmmaking than creative filmmaking. Now, everything is possible without shooting. Monologues, conversations, and even fight sequences can be generated on a computer. The way films are made will change, but we don't know if it is for good or bad. So let's wait and watch.