Director Guhan Seniappan: Weapon will be in the zone of DC Comics
Director Guhan Seniappan, whose Weapon released, talks about helming a superhuman film, how it will be in the zone of DC Comics and more
Jun 07, 2024
Guhan on the sets of Weapon
Director Guhan Seniappan’s Weapon released in theatres on Friday. Starring actors Sathyaraj and Vasanth Ravi in the lead roles, Weapon is a fantasy action film which explores the theme of superhuman.
In conversation with OTTplay, the director opens up about making a genre specific film and attempting a new concept in Tamil cinema.
On doing a superhuman film
Guhan, who has earlier helmed film Sawaari and web series Vella Raja, tells how aware he is that a superhuman film is one of the rarest genres that Tamil cinema has seen so far. Crediting patience as one of the strongest suits a director can have, Guhan adds, “Patience is the highest and most-needed quality that a director should have. They must wait patiently to get a breakthrough. After doing my web series Vella Raja in 2018, I was very strong in doing a superhuman film and I did not take up any other offers. I wanted to be in the zone and work on my vision. With regards to cinema, patience is the most needed aspect.”
While Hollywood has seen enough and more takes on superhero and superhuman films, Guhan explains the difference between the two, “There have been superhero films, but we have not been seeing superhuman films. Being a caped crusader and saving the world is a usual take and many are doing a good job. Films like Minnal Murali became a trendsetter because producers began to develop trust on superhero films. So, when I am attempting in the genre, I felt the need to give something different.”
Also read: Vasanth Ravi on Weapon: Glad I got a fantasy action film early in my career | Exclusive
How Weapon is in DC Comic zone
It is also at this time, Guhan gives an example with DC Comics and Marvel to make us understand more about Weapon. “You can call Weapon to be in the DC zone. Usually, characters from Marvel comics are positive, but when it comes to DC, characters have dark shades. Batman spares Joker alive despite the latter committing wrongdoings. There is a theory behind it. Similarly, Weapon too has grey shades in its characters.” He adds, “Besides, we also want to delve into the existence of superhumans, the search and existence, and aftermath of it, which is filled with high-octane action sequences.”
Guhan says he likes to imagine faces while writing his scripts. So naturally, while working on Weapon Sathyaraj and Vasanth Ravi were his primary choices. “We wanted someone with aged looks but versatility as well. His features also transform naturally into the character we have written. In Vikram, we had seen a different take of Kamal sir, similarly, Sathyaraj sir is shown in different form and shade in Weapon. Similarly, Vasanth Ravi was the first choice for the film, because he carries certain body language of the same intensity. We also got the dates of both artists immediately. I always have faces while I write.”
Weapon is currently running in theatres. The film also stars Rajiv Menon, Tanya Hope, Yashika Aannand, Mime Gopi, Kaniha, Gajaraj, Syed Subhan, Baradwaj Rangan, Velu Prabhakaran, Maya Krishnan, and others.
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