It is impossible for anyone to have missed Five Star (2002) and Thiruttu Payalae (2006) if they've watched films through the early 2000s. While the former was based on a timeless subject, the latter was a bold venture and they both went on to become trend-setters in their own right. And as surprising as it may sound, these starkly contrasting films were handled by the same director, the three time state award winning Susi Ganesan. Almost a decade since his prequel, the six-film old Susi is now all set to release his better amped-up Thiruttu Payalae 2. What follows is the exclusive t?te-?-t?te he had with Movie Crow in which he talks about films, awards, future projects and more.
Thiruttu Payalae 2 was supposed to release earlier. What caused the delay?
Like every maker, we wanted the film to have a solo release but that is not practically possible. For Dusshera there was a big film SPYder and Karuppan releasing. We did not want to clash with them and cause business disruption for all. I am very thankful to my producer Kalpathi S. Aghoram for holding Thiruttu Payalae 2 for so long. Not every producer comes with the capacity to hold a censor-ready film for this amount of time. I really lucked out that way.
With the battle for ticket prices (currently resolved) and the movie strike (now withdrawn), do you think your current release date could get affected?
We are trying our level best to have the film hit theatre screens by November 3, 2017. All the other slots have been booked. As I said, we are trying to place our film carefully for the content is such. In fact, we are currently dubbing the film in Telugu and this version has been titled Dongodochadu. It means thief has arrived. My producer Kalpathi S Aghoram and I are trying our level best to have a side-by-side release for both versions. Let's see how that pans out.
You are a three-time state award winner but your last film in Tamil was Kanthaswamy in 2009. When you make a comeback after a hiatus, do you think there is a risk of credibility being undermined?
People who say that awards don't mean anything or that they aren't fair are the ones who are secretly longing for it (So he will not say that). Of course my awards have been big boosts to my career but they have nothing to with determining the film-making credibility or even the commercial success to say. Kanthaswamy and Shortcut Romeo (Hindi) were box-office hits despite not fetching any awards for me.
Compared to my contemporaries who have done 13-14 films in the same career span as mine, I have done only six. But despite the 5 year gap, I have been enjoying my success and stardom everywhere I go.
This is a season of sequels in the Tamil Film industry. Has it ever bothered you that the outcome of one of these films could have a ripple effect on all the other sequels including Thiruttu Payalae 2?
The audience are not that unaware these days. For example, let's say the sequel of a movie X is coming out; the audience walk into theatre halls keeping the success or brand of that movie X in mind. Growth in the TV industry has helped a lot in retaining the success value of the brand, as the movies are repeatedly telecasted for the audience's consumption.
To answer you question, the outcome of other films or the number of sequels do not bother me as I know that people are going to watch Thiruttu Payalae 2 keeping the prequel in mind. You'd be surprised to know the number of fan-suggestions I have gotten for the story of this film even before it began. So I am confident that way.
Speaking of fans, one major complaint they have about you is the time you take in-between films..
You know, this is a common complaint I get from every friends and family members. So much so that I have decided to change it. I have and script ready. I haven't cast the project yet but I am going to make sure I have a film next year.
Susi Ganeshan has been spending day-and-night at the mixing studio for the Telugu dubbing of his film, which he claims he hasn't done for any of his other films. He also feels that the idea of having an audio launch amongst a floating crowd in a mall (just like they did for Thiruttu Payale 2) is something the Tamil film industry should incorporate more. While he considers his producer Kapathi. S. Aghoram the true hero of his film (for accepting to bankroll such a content-driven project and holding by it), he is equally praises for Vidyasagar' s non-jarring compositions and his artistes Amala Paul, Bobby Simha and Prasanna. MovieCrow wishes him and the entire team of Thiruttu Payale 2 all success for their venture.
