A still from ‘Chutney Sambar’ and director Radha Mohan
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement and Shiva Raj S
It was a pleasant surprise for director Radha Mohan when I pointed out that it’s been 20 years since he debuted with Azhagiya Theeye (2004). “I wouldn’t have realised it hadn’t you mentioned it. It’s been very eventful and I’ve learned a lot. Being a part of this industry for so long by itself is quite a big deal and I’m happy for it,” smiles the filmmaker, who is making his OTT debut with Disney+ Hotstar’s Chutney Sambar starring Yogi Babu in the lead.
Excerpts from a conversation:
What prompted you to make your web-series debut at this stage of your career?
In the world of entertainment, web-series has become an inevitable medium and I have been wanting to do one for a while now. Unlike a film, a series needs a bigger story. When this story came up, the idea was to make a film out of it. It’s a story that can only be headlined by Yogi Babu and if not for him, I would have dropped this project. When he said he liked the story, I started developing it and then the tie-up with Hotstar and Vels International came up.
When they broached the idea of turning it into a series — a format I have been eyeing for a while — I took it up. We also felt when there’s an influx of murder mysteries, something breezy and comical would be a welcome change. As the screenplay structure is different, we worked on the story, added more characters and made sure there was a hook at the end of each episode.
A still from ‘Chutney Sambar’
| Photo Credit:
@disneyplusHSTam/YouTube
You said you would have dropped this project if Yogi Babu had not come on board…
I couldn’t think of anyone else for this character. Be it his looks or the backstory of his character in the series, only he could pull off this role. Not all comedians can play lead characters. The idea was not to make him a hero; he is apt for this character and I’ve done this before too (in Uppu Karuvaadu). I have always believed that Yogi Babu is not just a comedian and can pull off serious emotions in a style unique to him. He’s a natural actor who improvises on the set with dialogues, so how he approaches emotional scenes is also unique.
How different is it to write for a series as opposed to a film, and considering it’s easier to write episode-wise cliffhangers for thrillers, how did you go about this for a comedy-drama?
In films, there’s only so much we can write as a backstory for supporting roles, but a series has the space for each one of them to have their own arcs and goals that have an impact on the overarching story. It was challenging to write such characters. We also have to pique their curiosity at the end of each episode and that’s something that should stay relevant to the story; it cannot be intentionally misleading akin to what we see in crime thrillers often. Thankfully, it all came well together.
When you made ‘Malaysia To Amnesia’ (2021), which had a direct streaming release, you said that you usually shoot keeping in mind how films are seen on the big screen. But this time, you had to do it for smaller screens; how different is OTT content from a making perspective?
That’s the biggest learning process. The idea is to make content that would make an impact when seen on a mobile phone. For an emotional scene, for example, a mid-shot might not have the same impact a close-up would; especially if it’s a performance-heavy scene instead of a dialogue-oriented one.
Director Radha Mohan
| Photo Credit:
Shiva Raj S
You are known for your feel-good movies though you’ve tried to shake off that tag with films like ‘Payanam’ and ‘Gouravam’. How do you perceive this?
For me, it comes down to what story I’m convinced to do at that point in time. It does not matter if it’s out of my comfort zone or a different genre. I don’t set out to do a feel-good film or a comedy film. If I have four stories in different stages of development, they might be a romantic story or even a fantasy. For a project to develop, there are other criteria like finding the right production house. So based on which one is shaping up well, I go with it.
Speaking of which, filmmakers are now also expected to learn the commerce behind filmmaking and how to package the product also…
Irrespective of the medium or the film’s scale, keeping a tab on the budget should always be a priority for filmmakers. If a film needs a big budget to be made, there should be a plan on how to recover it. Similarly, if it’s a small film, one has to know how to work within the limitations. If a project demands a bigger budget, then the patience to play the waiting game for the right cast and producer is needed.
You have often collaborated with actors like Prakash Raj, MS Bhaskar and Elango Kumaravel and given us some memorable supporting characters. Is it just the comfort you share with such artists that result in multiple collaborations?
If I’m doing a big film with a star, it will have several elements including a villain and the attention will be predominantly on them. In my films, most of the time, the conflict of the primary characters will often be their villain. I always believed I needed strong supporting characters to take the plot forward.
Probably because most of Bhaskar’s roles turn out to be so memorable, it might feel like he is in all my films! But I never write characters keeping the actors in mind. But somewhere, there’s also the respect I have for these actors; if I know they fit a character well, there’s no turning back.
A still from ‘Chutney Sambar’
| Photo Credit:
@disneyplusHSTam/YouTube
Unlike the Malayalam film industry where the big stars headline both big-budget as well as mid-budget films, we don’t see that happening in Tamil cinema.
Apart from the audiences who watch a film for content, we also have a huge number of fans watching films for the stars in them right from the ‘60s. The makers like to exploit that, and the actors might also not prefer to do smaller films. Big stars doing smaller films have often resulted in failures, as the audience don’t want to see them in such projects. In Kerala, I suppose the audience’s mindset allows them to see all sorts of films. Here, the big stars are getting bigger thanks to pan-Indian films which is good for the industry.
What has been your biggest takeaway in these two decades of being a filmmaker?
What I’m learning today is what’s going to take me forward and not the 20 years of experience beforehand. I’m not active on social media, but I should know how people use and misuse it. If I stop learning, observing and updating myself, I’ll go extinct. If I’m putting out a point, it will be received by someone belonging to my age group in one way, and by youngsters in another way. Their point of view is important and I keep myself surrounded by young ADs. Keeping ourselves updated is important and learning is the way to go.
Chutney Sambar will stream on Disney+ Hotstar from 26 July
