CHENNAI: For the last few days, Gautham Vasudev Menon spent a lot of time in getting things in place for his maiden concert, Ennodu Vaa Veedu Varaikum. On Sunday (February 1), the show was nostalgic for many we spoke to in the industry and away from it. Netizens are already asking him for another show soon. We wanted to meet him in person to congratulate on the show’s success and his 25 years in the industry. We could see him visibly happy as he says, “The show went really well.”
For his fans, his mind and heart lie in two things right now – Dhruva Natchathiram’s release and his next directorial. “I am working on them. And my next project is in Tamil and I have been planning on what would suit the best. It could either be a newcomer in the lead with music by AR Rahman or we should see if we must go for a seasoned actor. You will know soon.” From what we observed, there is some conviction in his tone and the veracity with which he said shows that he is ready to go all-out for it. But, it is common to have naysayers and the rumour mills going around where there is success.
As we sit on the couch, sipping a cup of coffee, with a smile, we ask if Gautham Vasudev Menon is one of the misunderstood filmmakers in Tamil cinema per se. “Though not often, I have felt that sometimes they take things out of context. There are not many urban stories that are made in the middle class or upper middle class segment. When such films are made, the person is being branded as an elitist or someone who is unaware of the layman struggles. For instance, like someone asked me, about scripts, I never go to locations without a bounded script or without a writing in place, which is given to everybody on the sets. The talk about me not writing a script is baseless,” he says. However, he opens up about keeping the last 10 minutes of the films open ‘that too after writing the climax’ and adds, “I feel for some films, it is up to me to take a call, which can change in the due course of a film. For instance, with Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse we went in with the bound shot and we came back. When it came to Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu, we shot an extension of 10 minutes which wasn’t on paper. A reporter told me, when others do it, people call it art and when Gautham does it, misunderstanding occurs. Those are small problems, but that’s okay,” he shrugs.
Be it the park in Minnale, or the locations of Malta in Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaya, or Anbuselvan’s house with closed curtains in Kaakha Kaakha, and even the barren lands in Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu, Gautham’s frames ooze aestheticism. However, what lies beneath it is a pure commercial entertainer that reaches to what has been categorised as even the B and C centres of the audience. “It is not a pretentious thing. If you notice, I speak from my heart. I don’t get questions prior to an interview, I never say no to meeting people. That reflects on papers as well. Even when my villains speak, and if it is done well, it will resonate with the audience. ‘Hey, ivan namma pesara madhri pesaran’, that flow comes by default,” says the filmmaker.
Having worked with stars like Kamal Haasan, Mammootty, Ajith, Venkatesh, Suriya, and now Vikram, Gautham believes that vibing with the hero matters the most for a film to click. “The trust should be mutual. Regardless of the character they play, they need to be showcased well. For instance, if you watch Enai Nokki Paayum Thotta, the first half of the film had fallen into place organically. Whereas, the second half made it obvious that there was no sync between the director and the actor and that all is not well,” he remarks.
True that because no star would travel from Chennai to New York just for a day to shoot for a film’s teaser. “Yes, Vikram did that for Dhruva Natchathiram. I told him about the plan for the teaser and even the costumes that can be picked up from NY for the film. He said, ‘Let’s do it da’. Jomon was there. Vikram and I were completely in sync throughout the shoot. Whatever I had asked for and whatever he brought into the table, we worked well together.”