Magizh Thirumeni interview: ‘Vidaamuyarchi’ has the Ajith Kumar we all wish to see on screen

When filmmaker Magizh Thirumeni sits with us for another chat, this time on video, he seems eager to address all that has been weighing him down over the last few weeks. A lot has happened since he last spoke to us, which was just a few hours before it was announced that Vidaamuyarchi, his long-awaited action-thriller starring Ajith Kumar, had to postpone its plans to release during Pongal. A collective fandom poured its heart out on social media; remember, they have been waiting for a long time to catch their superstar under Magizh’s direction, and they were expecting a trailer, not a postponement notice.

“I felt quite dejected. Everyone, including Lyca Productions, was upset and it took us a day or two to get out of it. However, we all understood the reasons behind it, and the producers did make a concerted, sincere effort to ensure this wasn’t the case,” says Magizh. Furthermore, a lot of what the filmmaker had said in our interview about preparing the audiences for what awaits them — like, how it was the star who provided the source material, and why it isn’t unlike anything both of them had done in their careers — were misconstrued, as, say, Magizh justifying an inferior product that is in the making. This, as Magizh says in a shocking revelation, is not an isolated incident, but a series of attempts from a certain group that has targeted him right from the project’s inception.

Any other filmmaker working on any other project might have buckled under such pressure. Thankfully, Magizh had a pillar of support in Ajith Kumar. Listen to him recite what the star had to say about the postponement, and it’s nothing short of a blockbuster fan service: “Magizh don’t feel bad. So what if our film doesn’t release on a festival day? The day of our film’s release will become a festive day,” Ajith told him, as quoted by the director. “He was not only aware of the negativity we were subject to, but he was also amongst a few individuals who stood by me throughout,” says Magizh, adding that the star has assured him of more collaborations in the future.

Trisha, Ajith Kumar and Magizh Thirumeni on the sets of ‘Vidaamuyarchi’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Excerpts:

Despite the postponement, we saw Ajith Kumar in a different avatar during the Pongal week: as a racecar driver. More than his victory, his dedicated pursuit towards his passion is seen as an inspirational message to the youngsters. What’s your take on this?

Absolutely. It has also gotten a lot of goodwill for him. So, Ajith sir had informed us about returning to racing months ago. We were all prepared for it. A few weeks before he left for the race, when we were wrapping up our film, he told me, ‘Magizh, when I go to participate in this race, anything can happen, which is why I want to wrap up all my film commitments, because there are so many people who have placed their trust in me, two producers have invested money trusting me, and so many people have put in their hard work for these films. When I get back to the racing circuit and I step on the accelerator, I have to press it 100%; If I apply only 90% pressure, I wouldn’t be doing justice to the race. Just because I have two uncompleted films, I can’t play it safe. I don’t want to do that, because anything can happen.’ I get goosebumps thinking about it even now. When he gets into something, he dedicates himself to it wholeheartedly.

You had earlier said that you weren’t at liberty to share if ‘Vidaamuyarchi’ is a remake of the 1997 Kurt Russell film ‘Breakdown’. However, there’s been a lot of speculation around it, especially after the postponement….

I am not at a place where I can talk about it, not because I want to conceal things, but due to certain facts that the production house has asked me not to talk about it. They have good and fair reasons for asking that. What I can say is that Vidaamuyarchi is almost a two-and-a-half-hour film; I believe that says a lot about it. There’s a lot of original material in this story.

One thing I can promise you is this — we will see the Ajith Kumar we all wish to see on screen in Vidaamuyarchi. Handsome, charming and suave. After a long time, he has a proper romantic track in a film. I can promise an engaging, engrossing two-and-a-half hours.

Magizh Thirumeni and Ajith Kumar on the sets of ‘Vidaamuyarchi’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

You had stated how non-mass-y Ajith wanted this film to be, and that he said it was time for both of you to step out of your comfort zones; What do you think prompted this superstar to take this detour into an experimental zone?

I wouldn’t say this is 100% an experimental film; it’s a mainstream commercial film. It’s just that it isn’t that typical mass masala film with typical hero introduction shots, punch dialogues, and a grand action spectacle towards the intermission.

What Ajith sir has done is something unimaginable. He has done something that would question his own image. Very few A-listers dare to do this, and he is pushing the envelope. He has challenged his stardom and his larger-than-life image at every given opportunity. I believe the answer lies in the respect he has for the audience. For how long are we going to feed the audience the things that are far removed from reality? Did they say they would only watch a hero who sends 20-30 men flying in the air? Did they say they would only watch films that create misogyny? Absolutely not. They expect good, logical, and sensible movies. That’s the respect he shows towards the audience and towards his fans.

He has definite views towards what is happening in our society. He’s been observing the prevalent misogyny and the crimes women are subjected to. He said, ‘It’s time for payback. All stories have been told from a masculine point of view; let’s shake it up and question it.’ He told all of us, including the technicians, that this would be one of the most remarkable films in all our careers. After watching the film, he said that it has come out better than what he had imagined and that this is the kind of film he wants to keep doing.

Magizh Thirumeni
| Photo Credit:
Shiva Raj S

The trailer of ‘Vidaamuyarchi’ hints at a few antagonists. In your previous films like ‘Thadaiyara Thaakka’, ‘Meaghamann’ and ‘Kalaga Thalaivan’, you attempted to rationalise antagonists with a flashback or a dialogue about how they became these evil brutes. Do commercial filmmaking norms, that a hero cannot be an anti-hero and a villain has to be menacing, restrict you?

That can’t be avoided, because films are for public consumption. Sure, there’s been an evolution in the audience profile across India. But we all have an obligation to ensure the producers’ investment is safe. So there are moments when you have to play to the gallery. I am trying to push the envelope slowly, to bring my films as close to reality as possible.

I am doing genre films, most of which come under the thriller genre. There is a template for the thriller genre and I am yet to reach a position where I can break that template even more. I am now in a place where I have to hold the viewers’ attention for the entire film. So though I have to work within a template, I try to make the characters real. This is why I delve into why a character is a certain way, what their impulses are and what drives them to do what they do. This is the respect that I am showing the audience, I believe.

Most of these antagonists — from Harish Uthaman in ‘Meaghamann’ to Arav in ‘Kalaga Thalaivan’ — also use physical torture as a means to break a man psychologically and extract a confession…

That comes only because the story demands it. It’s not because I have gone through something like that or I have seen people going through such an experience. In Kalaga Thalaivan, for instance, it’s about revealing what’s concealed in a corporate set-up. It came about organically there. In fact, I staunchly follow a dictum that states ‘once your script is done, you have to kill your darlings.’ What it means is that a writer needs to kill those shots and scenes that he might have added out of his ego, or to show off his acumen; these aspects may not be necessary for the story. I always try to follow this instruction.

Magizh Thirumeni
| Photo Credit:
Shiva Raj S/The Hindu 

Are you also fond of vigilantes? Most of your heroes are vigilantes.

(laughs) I like heroes. A hero is not someone who can take on 100 guys; a hero is someone who stands up for truth, no matter the cost that it comes with. These are the kind of people who inspire me. A few years ago, there was a whistleblower in Pondicherry who was killed for revealing a cover-up. His father was killed too. From the top of my mind, I can state a dozen more instances like this from all over India. These are people who spoke out the truth, exposed scams, and paid it with their lives. These are the people that I draw inspiration from. I believe that it’s a storyteller’s duty to sing the unsung heroes.

In the last few years, the action genre seems to have hit a saturation point among audiences across India…

I wouldn’t call myself an action filmmaker, although that is how I am perceived. It’s just that whenever a hero or a producer approaches me, they want me to do an action film. I look at myself as a filmmaker; I want to do films in all genres. Now, only those film genres that redefine themselves after a certain point would survive in the long run. The action genre is not inferior; it’s a genre that started right from the silent film era. In every era, an action filmmaker would enter and redefine the action genre. When people are tired of watching the same star-driven action extravaganzas, a filmmaker would arise to do something innovative within that format. So the genre will always be alive.

You said your next is a commercial actioner. Say, there’s a big-star project slightly outside your zone, where you might have to work within restrictions; then there’s a film with a smaller star, who is ready to get into your zone. Which of these would you prefer?

(laughs) You are asking me to be too honest, but I will take the bait. I will choose the one where I can tell the story in my preferred way. That’s how I have been. When I was writing Thadaiyara Thaakka, two big actors wanted me to wait. In the beginning, I even waited for a month, but they were too busy, and I had a script ready; so I started making it. While making Thadam, we discussed it with Arun Vijay and he agreed to be a part of it. The day before he was supposed to officially sign on the project, I got a call from a big star, who wanted me to do the film with him and under Lyca Productions. I hadn’t received any advance for the project at that time, so I could have made that film for Lyca and I could have demanded a much larger pay cheque. But because I had given my word to another producer and Arun Vijay, I went ahead and did the film with them. That’s the kind of filmmaker I am. At the same time, I do wish to work with well-known stars, and I believe that’s what my next film would be like.

Vidaamuyarchi is set to release in theatres on February 6