KOCHI: It is difficult to typecast him as there is no ‘Ranjith-type film’ per se. From Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal to Devasuram and Aaraam Thampuran to Nandanam, Pranchiyettan and Spirit, scriptwriter and director Ranjith’s body of work is diverse and vivid. Currently, on a break from filmmaking, he now heads the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. Ranjith talks to TNIE about his choice of films, making Mohanlal twirl his moustache, his alpha male heroes, and aspirations about IFFK.
Excerpts:
You have been part of the Malayalam film industry in various roles – scriptwriter, director, actor, producer – for 36 years. How has the journey been?
Lots of things have happened in these years… I look at it as the most liberal space; a space that gives one complete freedom. You can write whatever you want or not write at all… make films or not make them. It’s been long since I have done a film. I feel like doing one now.
Has being the chairman of the Chalachitra Academy been a stumbling block?
Not really. I have a wonderful team at the Academy. I have complete freedom there. It’s a harmonious space.
The decision to invite Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi known for his anti-Communist position to IFFK is quite surprising…
There are many people like Zanussi who are anti-Marxist. He had lambasted the Left when he visited Kerala during the Nayanar government period. The same party is ruling the state now… it will be interesting to see if he still maintains the same political position. Let him also see how Kerala and IFFK have transformed over the years….
Was there any resistance from the government or the CPM?
No. I told them: ‘Let us listen to Zanussi, and let him also listen to us and see us.’ Everyone in the government — right from the CM to the Cultural Affairs Minister — was okay with the decision. When I told Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan about Zanussi being invited, he was surprised. I told him that was possible because there was a CM like Pinarayi [Vijayan]. Satheesan agreed. I also told him that if Congress comes to power, he, too, should give similar autonomy to the academies.
Director Shaji N Karun, in a previous issue of Express Dialogues, said IFFK was yet to reach the heights of Cannes. What’s your take?
We have just started… it is a long journey. One of the entries to the ‘Indian Films’ section at IFFK is made by a KSEB lineman. He says he is an IFFK product. Like that, if one good filmmaker emerges out of the 10,000 who attend IFFK, that is enough.
Director Dr Biju had made some allegations regarding his films not being included in a category which he wanted in the IFFK…
His film Adrishya Jalakangal was released in theatres. Nobody even knew about it. At the same time, Jeo Baby’s Kaathal was well-received. It is one of the films selected for the ‘Malayalam Cinema Today’ category. It is a rare thing to happen and Jeo Baby is happy both ways. Dr Biju must introspect.
For the first time, this edition of IFFK has no artistic director. Is there any particular reason?
There is no permanent post of ‘artistic director’ at the Academy. It was a post created when Beena Paul was there. We tried Deepika Susheelan last year. This year, we have Golda [Sellam] from France as the curator. She has lots of international exposure and good contacts with world cinema.
Was Deepika removed in connection with the Bela Tarr controversy [over the Hungarian director’s anti-communist views]?
No. Deepika is a nice girl. She may have thought that she would be the artistic director permanently like Beena Paul [who held the position for several years]. But the Academy does not need a permanent curator. We will try someone else next year. It brings in more variety and expertise to the Academy.
Coming to your films, you are someone who cannot be boxed into a particular category. Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal,
Devasuram, Maya Mayooram, Nandanam, Pranchiyettan, Spirit… they were all worlds apart. Was this diversity part of a design? Not really. Things just happen… nothing was part of any plan. I have gone with the flow ().
The diversity is visible in the films you have directed as well…
Yes. I have done Nandanam, Spirit, and Pranchiyettan. I didn’t plan it that way, to get written about. But I am happy that I could do them. My friend [director] Shyamaprasad once told me he was jealous of the variety of my films (chuckles).
Such a wide range is a great thing for a creative person, isn’t it?
People do not expect any particular type of film from Ranjith. So there is no burden of expectations (laughs).
Your filmography can be broadly divided into three categories… simple, humorous films in the first phase, macho films like Devasuram and Aaraam Thampuran in the second phase, and more meaningful films such as Pranchiyettan, Indian Rupee and Spirit in the third phase. Can this transition be seen as the evolution of Ranjith as a filmmaker?
There is nothing like that. The film I wrote after Devasuram was Maya Mayooram. People deliberately forget that. Maya Mayooram was a flop, and there was demand for films such as Aaraam Thampuran and Valyettan. I had a family to look after… I needed money. Why live like a pauper (smiles)?
Though factually incorrect, there is a general perception that it was Ranjith who made Mohanlal twirl his moustache…
It is not correct. He had done films like Rajavinte Makan much before that.
Yes... yet, why that narrative?
Maybe, people want to irritate me and see me retort (chuckles).
You have created lots of alpha male characters in your films… Do you think the age of such characters is over?
Characters are created in different ways at different times. I grew up seeing lots of alpha male characters. They all have influenced me. Men were very macho and women were stuck at their homes at that time. I may have used such characters in my films.
Is Ranjith an alpha male?
Well… those who have lived with me might be able to answer that (chuckles).
The female characters in films have changed a lot over time, even as the male characters have remained more or less the same. What’s your view on this?
It’s a subject which needs a long debate. There have been powerful female characters and revolutionary films earlier also.
Writer Unni R recently said that his story Leela should not have been made into a film…
It was he who wanted to make Leela into a film.
Do you have any such regrets regarding Leela?
No. Leela is one of my favourite films.
Regrets about any other films?
I have regretted only when some films that were made with the sole intention of making money got tanked at the box office (chuckles). It is other peoples’ money; one has a responsibility towards those who invest.
Cinema is a commercial product, but it is also the result of a creative process. So, is it correct to say that one makes films solely to make money?
What I meant was that I have made films for money and also otherwise. When I made Kayyoppu, there was no monetary motive. That was my production. I did not have to worry about somebody else’s money. Creativity, of course, is an integral part of it.
What is your politics? Or, rather, what is the politics of your films?
I have not seen cinema from a political angle. As an individual, I am closer to the CPM. But I have never tried to propagate its ideology through my films. There is no need for that.
While you say you are a Leftist, you have been accused of being a Sangh Parivar man because of your films…
People can say whatever they feel like. I don’t respond to whatever others say.
This allegation comes because many of your films such as Devasuram and Aaraam Thampuran had lots of ‘savarna images’. All those films happened in the 90s – a time when Hindutva forces were gathering strength in the post-Ram Janmabhoomi issue. Would it be too far-fetched to say your films were made in that context?
If you say I made those kinds of films anticipating the arrival of Hindutva, I would say that is stupidity. First of all, I have nothing to do with the BJP. Not then, not now. People say such things because those films had a temple, nilavilakku or and actors wearing chandanakuri. Those films were made because we knew they would sell well, that’s all. I wrote Maya Mayooram after Devasuram. Had Maya Mayooram been a hit, I would have made more such films that were closer to my heart. But that did not happen.
So, was box office success your top priority that time?
Yes. My next hit was Aaraam Thampuran. It was [director] Shaji Kailas who encouraged me to do those films. I was slightly hesitant, but he was sure that there was a huge market for such films. And he was correct. It became a super hit. Then, Narasimham happened. That, too, was a hit. It is as simple as that.
You mean to say you gave what society wanted?
There is no such connection between society and me. If people like the kind of films I make, they stay there. Otherwise, they leave. That’s all.
Despite making films such as Pranchiyettan, Spirit and Paleri Manikyam, many still remember you mostly for works like Devasuram and Aaraam Thampuran…
That could be deliberate. I am not bothered. It is not my thing to remind everyone that I have made films like Pranchiyettan as well. None of these things affects me. I will never denounce any of the films I created despite their success or failure.
According to you why do films fail?
There must be something wrong in the making… either in the script or in casting or in some other parts of it. It’s entirely the makers’ fault, not the audience.
Is box office success the only criterion to assess a film?
It is a crucial one. Otherwise, one should not be sending the film to theatres.
In your films, while Mohanlal mostly got mass hero roles, Mammootty played ones with more depth. Why so?
Nothing was part of the plan. When you write a character, one face comes to your mind. When I wrote Pranchiyettan, none but Mammootty came to my mind. When I did Spirit, none but Lal came to my mind.
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One gets a feel that Mammootty is ready for experimenting, and Mohanlal prefers his comfort zone…
That is correct, in a way. Lal is someone who likes his comfort zone. He has been like that. He is not comfortable with new directors or scriptwriters… Mammootty is just the opposite. If he senses that someone new has potential, he would send for the person (chuckles).
Do you believe that trait of Mohanlal stopped him from realising his full potential?
Now he is doing a film with Lijo Jose Pellissery. Even then, the producers are people he knows. Lal is like that… someone who kicks down 100 men on screen is still shy if he sees a huge crowd of unknown people. Mammootty, on the other hand, will be uncomfortable if he doesn’t see a crowd!
Mammootty has spoken different dialects in your films. How was that worked out?
He is very good at grasping them. He will ask me to narrate the lines first. Then, he will work on that and deliver perfectly. Meanwhile, Mohanlal is someone who doesn’t care about it. His slang in Thoovanathumbikal – though one of my favourites – is very boring. He tried to imitate the Thrissur slang. Pappettan (director Padmarajan), too, did not make an effort to improve it. Nor did Lal.
Does Mammootty do a lot of improvisation?
He is an actor who surprises us.
What about Mohanlal?
He is a very convincing actor, very versatile. He has a rhythm of his own. People say his rhythm and mine match well… that the meter in which I write syncs perfectly with Mohanlal (smiles).
Are you referring to his alpha male characters?
Why are you stuck with alpha males? You think his character Spirit is an alpha male? That film starts with his ex-wife saying that Lal’s character is a huge failure. No other hero must have been introduced like that. But, nobody is willing to see that angle. People are still stuck in ‘Ottappalam,’ it seems (laughs out).
So, Ranjith has completely left ‘Ottappalam’?
Yes. I left ‘Ottappalam’ a long time ago… (chuckles).
Does a filmmaker need to have social commitment?
What commitment?! The problem is you people give undue seriousness in interpreting the films, while those who make the films sit relaxed (chuckles).
Is it that simple? Cinema, unlike any other medium, influences society a lot…
Cinema has no power to influence people. Only a few fools think otherwise. If some sees Mohanlal in Narasimham and imitates him outside the theatre, he will get beaten up! Then he will realise his folly (laughs).
But there are many who get influenced…
I can vouch for the fact that it does not happen that way. People get moulded by one’s own circumstances and experiences, not by cinema.
So, cinema is something that should be left behind as one leaves the theatre?
What I have to tell you is that you should not give undue importance to films. Everyone makes films to show them in the theatre and make money. Only John Abraham was different. The ultimate aim of any filmmaker is to make money.
So, you mean cinema should not be taken seriously?
Cinema should be seen as cinema. Films are created by people with multiple tastes, and are meant for people with multiple tastes. Understand that and enjoy them. Don’t go looking for their politics.
There is lots of talk about political correctness now. What’s your view on the trend?
When [filmmakers] Dileesh Pothan, Shyam Pushkaran or Lijo Jose Pellissery sit and discuss films, they will be least bothered about political correctness. They don’t carry such baggage.
You must have had several interactions with the chief minister. How has the experience been?
He is very understanding and accommodative.
Actor ‘Bheeman’ Raghu created a stir by standing up during the CM’s speech during a function…
The CM simply ignored him. Had he asked Raghu to sit down, that would have been a recognition for Raghu. So, he continued with his speech as if such a person did not exist.
You had once said that director Jeo Baby’s The Great Indian Kitchen impressed you. You liked his Kaathal as well… There is an allegation that he makes films to raise certain slogans…
It’s not correct to bracket someone like that. I could relate to the women in The Great Indian Kitchen because I have seen many such homes and women in my life.
There has been a controversy over film reviewing. Do you think the prospects of a film can be ruined by reviews?
If a film reviewer can make a film a hit with this review, then that argument is correct. As that is not happening, I don’t see merit in the allegations that reviewers can ruin the prospects of a film.
Which is the film that gave you the highest satisfaction?
I am yet to make that film… (smiles).