CHENNAI: The teaser of Anubhav Sinha’s Assi, headlined by Taapseee Pannu was recently launched in Chennai. The event was a package as the teaser kept the audience intrigued and then we had Revathi gracing the event. Her elegance lit up the city mall and we couldn’t wait to talk to her about Assi’s gripping teaser. “There are a lot of stories that are being told in various different genres and names. Some stories are called commercial cinema and there are a few that are called festival cinema. There was a time when creators in Hindi made ‘meaningful cinema’. Now, I could see all these are clubbed together and it is upto the audience to choose what they want to watch. We cannot force them to consume what is being made. In other words, there is space for everything since different people watch different things from watching with families to watching content when we are alone,” she begins.
Beyond her screen presence, Revathi is a National award winning filmmaker as well. She strongly feels that there are lots of stories that are being told right now. “There is a demand for a lot of good content. Right from writing to acting, direction and even poster design, people expect good content. Cinema is providing space for people, who can think out of the box. Which is why, a film like Assi, isn’t a mere OTT film. It is something to be watched in theatres. The story is based on real-life incidents. More than promoting, we are creating an awareness for people to come to theatres to watch Assi,” the actor-filmmaker opens up.
Divulging more on the film, she adds, “Assi, which means 80 is an apt title because according to the statistics, there are a minimum of 80 FIRs that are being filed everyday in India. What about the unregistered cases? This is a number that our people need to know and understand where we are. The way Anubhav has treated it, is not just the journey of a survivor. It is an emotion of people around her and even the law and in the end what the judge says. He has handled it as an investigative thriller and not make it preachy. The film actually starts when it ends because that is where the audience will start thinking,” Revathi sums it up.
Starting from Mannvaasanai in the 80s to Mouna Raagam, Punnagai Mannan, Arangetra Velai, Kizhakku Vaasal, Thevar Magan, Avathaaram, and Magalir Mattum, Revathi dared to do roles that her contemporaries would have shied away from. She has been constantly raising her bar till Assi today. With a smile, she says, “That has never stressed me out. I listen to stories from the heart and not think about where this film takes me in my career-- the finance or the market. If a story moves me, I will do it. Direction is something that I wanted to do. When I started off with Mitr, My Friend, I was going through something similarly. I did
Phir Milenge at a time when there was a social stigma around HIV/ AIDS. I made Salaam Venky when conversation around Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy started. Films I make are the ones I believe I need to talk about, which is relevant with those times.”
At a time when cosmetic surgeries and actors’ accessories are a point of huge debate on social media, Revathi is not buoyed by peer pressure and is happy to flaunt her grey hair with elegance. “It is a natural thing to me per se because I am a lazy person when it comes to doing make up. I don’t want to keep dyeing my hair every two weeks. In fact, when I directed Good Wife, I didn’t see myself in the mirror for about two months. By the time I saw myself in the mirror, I said, ‘Oh, this looks interesting’.”
But she assures that she will push herself to direct a script soon. “I am working on a script currently and I will definitely bring out one this year or the next,” she concludes.