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InterviewIn this exclusive interview, Sarjun speaks about the backlash he received for 'Lakshmi', his interest in women-centric films and more. Sowmya RajendranFacebook/Sarjun KMAt 31, Sarjun is among the Tamil film industry’s most exciting young directors. His first feature film Echcharikkai is yet to hit the screens but he’s already a familiar name, thanks to his much talked about short films Lakshmi and Maa. The first is about a woman who has an extramarital fling while the second is on teenage pregnancy. The director has just signed a film with Nayanthara in the lead role. To be produced by Kjr Studios, which gave us Aramm last year and the Pongal release Gulebagavali, the film is expected to be a horror flick. Speaking to Tnm, Sarjun shares his journey in the Tamil film industry, the controversy surrounding Lakshmi, and his desire to continue doing short films even as he steps into the big league. From what we’ve seen of your work so far, we have high expectations about what you’ll bring to the table with the Nayanthara film. So can we expect something different within the horror genre? Definitely. It will be a horror film with emotions. It won’t just be scary. It’s an out and out horror film but with emotions. How did this project happen? Rajesh, the producer, called me and said he liked Maa very much and asked if I had any story to narrate. I asked him what genre he had in mind and he said it’s fine if it’s a horror film. So I took some time and pitched a line to him. He really liked it and told me that he’d get me a sitting with Nayanthara. I gave an hour’s narration to Nayanthara and she liked it very much. She liked Maa also very much and she spoke about it. It’s not the usual horror film, so she gave the go ahead. How did you get into the film industry? I’m an engineering graduate but I later studied cinematography in Mindscreen under Rajiv Menon Sir. Just as I was finishing, Mani Ratnam Sir was in need of an assistant director for Ponniyin Selvan. So I joined him, but for some reason that project didn’t take off. I continued working with him in Kadal. I finished Kadal and I did a couple of independent projects like music videos. Then I worked with Murugadoss on Kaththi. I joined only after the first schedule of the film was done. When that got over, I worked on the post-production for Mani Sir’s Ok Kanmani. That’s the last work I did for anyone else. After that, I’ve been trying to pitch scripts – which ended with me doing Echcharikkai. The film is over and is set for release in March. Both your short films, Lakshmi and Maa, revolve around women protagonists. What draws you towards such stories? Probably it’s the influence of women from my own life – both good and bad. I don’t know how far it’s possible to do it in a feature film here. There are many restrictions in mainstream films. Short films give you that freedom to think whatever you want. My first feature film is not women-centric, it’s a proper thriller. So I have broken out of that... but yes, the second will center around Nayanthara’s character. So when you have the freedom to think, you are drawn to telling the stories of women? My first influence is my mother. She’s a very independent woman. She’s a retired teacher now. My friends’ circle, the way I have been brought up, the environment around me – all of this I’d say is a little progressive from whatever I’ve seen. So I thought why not tell stories from here. When I made Lakshmi, I didn’t really think all that much. It just became big after I made it (laughs). I pitched Maa to Gautham Menon Sir and he really liked it. He told me that it’s a sensitive subject and that I should handle it properly. Are you worried about mainstream cinema limiting your creativity? The genre I’ve selected for the Nayanthara film is horror. There are a few templates for horror and we can’t break that. But within that, what better can I bring is the question. I can explore sub-genres within it. I’m coming with a prepared mind about how to go forward in the industry. How did you deal with the backlash that you received for Lakshmi? I took Gautham Sir’s advice to not open my mouth (laughs). He told me that it’s the best thing to do. Because if I say something and it gets twisted, it will be worse. But I have to say that though there was backlash, I also got many positive responses. It was equal. So I didn’t want to feed the backlash. Gautham Sir told me to speak about it after I do my next project. That’s why I decided to speak after Maa. What kind of feedback did you get for Maa? For Maa, nearly 95% of the responses I got were positive. About 5% was negative but I thought that was okay. Any work you do, there’s going to be negative stuff. It’s not necessary for everyone to accept it. Even if you make a classic, there will be people who like it and don’t like it. I’m also like that. There are many films which people have liked which I haven’t. And I’ve criticised those films, too. Did you do any research when you made Maa? Yes, a lot of research. I wanted to know how prevalent teenage pregnancy is. In fact, we had a press show for Maa in which we had statistics in the end. But we thought it might look like a “message” movie if we kept it, so we took it off in the YouTube version. So I did do research on the prevalence of teenage pregnancy, the consequences for women of that age and it was only after this that we started writing it. Did you feel constrained at any point when you were doing Maa because of the backlash you received with Lakshmi? Yes. I did feel constrained. When I got this idea, I did have doubts. I went and met the Ondraga team which has Venkat Sir and Reshma Ma’am. I told them that I didn’t want people to think since I made a controversial film, I wanted to make another one like that. I did ask them if I should do it. They told me not to be worried and that this film won’t be seen that way. It’s only after their encouragement that I told myself I could do it. Echcharikkai is releasing in March. Can you tell us more about it? It’s a kidnap thriller. Satyaraj Sir is doing the role of a retired cop. He has played a cop in many films so I wanted to ensure that this is different. That’s why I made him a retired cop who doesn’t wear a uniform at any point. The film has a lot of twists and turns, and ends with a very emotional climax. Some people have been saying that from the looks of the trailer, it seems to have been inspired by Taken? The thing is, we cut the trailer so it looks like Taken. But what you see in the trailer is not the film. In the trailer, it looks like Varalaxmi is Satyaraj Sir’s daughter but that’s not the case at all. The story is different but we cut the trailer so it has that similarity. Taken is a Very famous film. I don’t think I can take from Taken and do it (laughs). How hard is it to make it big in cinema? The struggle is very big. We only see the names of people who’ve made films. But there are hundreds of people who find it difficult to get someone to even listen to their story. If you ask why, it’s because the number of quality films that release are less, the number of artists is also less, but the number of people who want to become directors is big. So that competition is there. It’s a huge task to get a producer or artist to listen to your story. And after that, if the film goes on the floor, it’s a big achievement, given the current situation. On top of this, if the film runs, it’s a miracle. Apart from the creative side, there are many more aspects to this struggle. Now there are more platforms, like YouTube for example, and filmmakers should realise that you’re not a filmmaker only if your film releases in a theatre. Then they can continue to tell their stories. Does this mean you’ll continue to make short films? 100% yes. I watched Anurag Kashyap’s short film (The Day After Every Day) and I was thinking how someone who’s made 5-6 mainstream films has made a short film. For a person who has done a feature film and is coming back to do short films, the approach will be different. From the shots to the thinking, it will be different. It will be much better and more people will watch it. You can explore genres – people here don’t do it but I will.

In 1975, Shashi Kapoor saab said Salim-Javed’s immortal line “Mere Paas Maa Hai” and the audience of India clapped, whistled and cheered be it A, B or C centres! Hindi cinema has always been larger than life, filled with dialogue-baazi, naach-gaana, emotion, comedy and Manoranjan from Manmohan Desai to Prakash Mehra, from David Dhawan toRead More

The post Enough of pandering and sucking up to Cine‘Mummy’! Let’s embrace our Cine’Maa’! appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Deepak Rauniyar’s Highway, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival 2012, was recently screened at the Osian’s Cinefan Film Festival. Credited with making the first Nepali film to travel to one of the top festivals in the world, Berlinale, Deepak Rauniyar tells us more about Highway:

What was the starting point for the film?

In 2009, I happened to be on a road trip from east Nepal to the capital, Kathmandu. Our journey was obstructed by three different ‘bandhs’, organized by three different groups in three different parts of the country. This was when my colleagues Kedar Sharma, Khagendra Lamichhane and I started talking about the idea for this film, Highway. I felt that by setting a story against the backdrop of this new ‘bandh’ culture, I would not only be able to explore physical ‘bandhs’, but also explore the mental/psychological ‘bandhs’ that many of us seem to be facing these days.

April 24 is a day when the Nightingale Lata Mangeshkar honours the memory of her late father Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar by honoring excellence in the field of arts and social services. This year's recipient is Madhuri Dixit, just back for good in amchi Mumbai after a lengthy residency in the Us. Madhuri has always been self-declared Lata Mnageshkar fan. The highlight of her career, says Dixit, was when Lataji sang 'Didi Tera Devar Deewana' and other memorabilia for the actress in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. Says Lataji, "Madhuri is a very fine actress and one of the most beautiful and graceful dancers of our cinema. I always like watching her on screen. Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Devdas are my favourites. Whenever we meet we chatter in Marathi." Interestingly, the function to commemorate her father's death anniversary would be the second public event Lataji would be seen attending in a month,...

Three months of patience and fair play paid rich dividends to TV actress Juhi Parmar, who Saturday won the fifth season of the controversial reality show Bigg Boss and the prize money of Rs.1 crore.The Kumkum fame actress, who was among the first 13 contestants to enter the house Oct 2, 2011, pipped actress Mahek Chahal and Siddharth Bhardwaj to win the show, which was described as high on fights and low on entertainment quotient by season three participant, actor-filmmaker Kamaal R. Khan.She is the second female contestant to win the show, as Shweta Tiwari had taken away the trophy in the last season.Juhi, 31, had earlier participated in other reality shows - Pati Patni Aur Woh and Maa Exchange and was seen indulging in lots of arguments, but in Bigg Boss, she played the game more patiently.Many inmates and viewers were not so happy with Juhi's friendship with her inmate Akashdeep Saigal aka Sky,...

The sterling music stalwarts of Bollywood trio Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy - Sel - celebrated 15 years of working together over a glittering evening yesterday. In an evening replete with attendance from the creme de la creme of the industry, awesome performances and a stupendous atmosphere of bonhomie, camaraderie and celebration; the Indian music industry's most loved trio celebrated 15 years of their association in style...first with a performance at the St. Andrew's Auditorium, Bandra and then at the rocking after party at Bungalow 9!St. Andrew's Auditorium...packed to the rafters...came alive, brought to its feet by some spectacular performances by the "trio of geniuses" who belted out some of their biggest hits to an appreciative audience. The mood was electric and the excitement was palpable as Sel embarked on their endeavour to entertain and thrill their industry colleagues with their favourite chart busters. The three who came together from...

The always tired woman in white slaving over a sewing machine, the sacrificing one wracked by coughs but lifting load after load at a construction site or the doughty worker who won.t stop at even murder to save her child. The mother figure was for long an enduring cornerstone of Hindi cinema, but not any more. From Nargis and Nirupa Roy to Rakhee and Jaya Bachchan, actors down the ages have played powerful mother roles in hallmark films. Can anyone forget cop Shashi Kapoor.s famous .Mere pas maa hai. to his smuggler brother Amitabh Bachchan in .Deewar., where Nirupa Roy as mother was the pivot the film revolved around. The most iconic film till date is perhaps Nargis in Mehboob Khan.s .Mother India. (1957) as the fiery single mother who brings up two sons in the face of near impossible odds and doesn.t hesitate to fire a...

The always tired woman in white slaving over a sewing machine, the sacrificing one wracked by coughs but lifting load after load at a construction site or the doughty worker who won.t stop at even murder to save her child. The mother figure was for long an enduring cornerstone of Hindi cinema, but not any more.From Nargis and Nirupa Roy to Rakhee and Jaya Bachchan, actors down the ages have played powerful mother roles in hallmark films. Can anyone forget cop Shashi Kapoor.s famous .Mere pas maa hai. to his smuggler brother Amitabh Bachchan in .Deewar., where Nirupa Roy as mother was the pivot the film revolved around.The most iconic film till date is perhaps Nargis in Mehboob Khan.s .Mother India. (1957) as the fiery single mother who brings up two sons in the face of near impossible odds and doesn.t hesitate to fire a...

Move over Munni and Sheila, 'Darling' is here. The hit song from 7 Khoon Maaf is creating ripples. A close hand reveals, "In just eight days after the music of 7 Khoon Maaf was launched, it has become the number one song on most radio channels. Even Munni Badnaam Hui and Sheila ki Jawani took more days to attain the numero uno spot." The song is sung by Usha Uthup and Reha Bharadwaj and its music is given by Vioshal Bharadwaj. It's featured on the leading lady of 7 Khoon Maa...

Move over Munni and Sheila, 'Darling' is here. The hit song from 7 Khoon Maaf is creating ripples. A close hand reveals, "In just eight days after the music of 7 Khoon Maaf was launched, it has become the number one song on most radio channels. Even Munni Badnaam Hui and Sheila ki Jawani took more days to attain the numero uno spot." The song is sung by Usha Uthup and Reha Bharadwaj and its music is given by Vioshal Bharadwaj. It's featured on the leading lady of 7 Khoon Maa...

A feeling of foreboding and damnation builds up in the narration from the first frame itself. Here's a gloriously gutsy film exploring the underbelly of Mumbai through the lives of two slumkids who grow up in identical circumstances but with somewhat disparate values.

First-time director Faruk Kabir displays remarkable skill in creating a pastiche of mammoth crime and little punishment. The pace leaves meager space for grace. And yet Allah Ke Banday creates a world filled with acute aggression repression and damnation with a reasonable amount of paciness to the edgy narrative.

The world that Faruk Kabir's characters inhabit is reminiscent of Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, Irrfan Kamal's underrated Thanks, Maa, Mahesh Manjrekar's City Of Gold and Chandan Arora's Striker. Deriving its lingering study of juvenile delinquency from these sources Allah Ke Banday moves forward and acquires a life of its own.

The gripping narrative...

All izz not well for Tabu and Sunny Deol. Their once- impressive careers have hit a low patch lately. And to make it worse K.C. Bokadia has suddenly woken up with a long in-the-cans film Khuda Kasam. Earlier entitled The Challenge, the film was deemed as good as gone when it was miraculously revived. When asked about it Tabu's terse reply is, "It's a film that was made 12 years ago." Sunny and Tabu were a hit pair in J P Dutta's Border. But pretty much a flop in their other films together namely Maa Tujhe Salaam, Jaal The Trap and Himmat. Sunny defends the producer's right to release his film as and when he wants. "It's his money, and his film. He can release it when he wants. Who am I to object to it? People don't realize how much effort goes into a film and how painful it...

All izz not well for Tabu and Sunny Deol. Their once- impressive careers have hit a low patch lately. And to make it worse K.C. Bokadia has suddenly woken up with a long in-the-cans film Khuda Kasam. Earlier entitled The Challenge, the film was deemed as good as gone when it was miraculously revived. When asked about it Tabu's terse reply is, "It's a film that was made 12 years ago." Sunny and Tabu were a hit pair in J P Dutta's Border. But pretty much a flop in their other films together namely Maa Tujhe Salaam, Jaal The Trap and Himmat. Sunny defends the producer's right to release his film as and when he wants. "It's his money, and his film. He can release it when he wants. Who am I to object to it? People don't realize how much effort goes into a film and how painful it...

Let me tell you about my darlingest Paa Ki Maa, Vidya Balan , and what she does to unwind. Heard that however modern on screen, Balan loves to listen to old Bollywood classics whenever she wants to relax. Her favourites, I’m told, are Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohd Rafi and Rd Burman. One of our common sakhis says that Balan has a humongous collection of songs sung by her favourite artistes at home. She even keeps a few CDs in her car and listens to them when she’s travelling or is stressed. ...