Ashwath Marimuthu Interview: The moment you see Dragon; you can be assured that I'm a family friendly director | EXCLUSIVE

February is special for Ashwath Marimuthu. It was five years back, on the day of celebrating love, did the filmmaker’s debut film Oh My Kadavule released on Valentine’s Day. Cut to present, Ashwath is waiting for the release of his second film Dragon, starring actor and filmmaker Pradeep Ranganathan. Has anything changed at all in Ashwath?

“As a filmmaker, I see no difference. People say I sound confident, but if you look older interviews, I would have been the same. It’s not like its my second film and I am more confident. So, nothing has changed on that note. But, on the personal level, I have become more practical and believe less in magic,” replies Ashwath.

Dragon director Ashwath Marimuthu: I love working under pressure

In Dragon, Ashwath will be working with long time friend Pradeep. Acknowledging that there is a lot of benefits and risks of collaborating with a friend, the director says, “The relationship is at stake, if anything goes wrong. But I think I did not give him that pressure and took it on instead. He believed me that I will do a good film.”

More than working with a friend, Ashwath points out that Dragon is a follow-up after Pradeep’s blockbuster film Love Today. “After giving a 100-crore film, many would be waiting what would be his next film. That is when the dynamics change, and people will be keen to know how well is working with other directors. So, it was an important film for him to register that he is a star actor. That came with a lot of pressure, but I do love being put under pressure. The greater the stakes, more the responsibility and more the fun. I hope it handled the right way.”

When Pradeep has both directed and starred in Love Today, the Dragon filmmaker says his approach of handling Pradeep as an actor was his greatest pressure. “You cannot imagine apart from Pradeep in Love Today. That is the reason, when only one person can handle that role so perfectly, it becomes an actor’s film. I love the performer in Love Today, and the trance mode when the phones are exchanged. I honestly loved Pradeep’s performance in the film. And with regards to me, it is my second film and I also have to keep up the name I got from my debut feature.”

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Ashwath says one has to not lose the sincerity and integrity that was there while making the first film, when a director does his second outing. “When we do our first film, we work like the greatest opportunity. You see a lot of directors’ first films are really good, because they have more time to make it. But when it’s your second film, you have lesser time and more expectations. It becomes like running in a race, and no one knows you. But second film makes you under constant watch. So, what can happen is you may lose the efforts you put in your first film to your second one. But if you consistently and honestly better yourself, I think you are unstoppable.”

The filmmaker seems to have a penchant towards fantasy and destiny, right from his first film Oh My Kadavule. If there was divine intervention there, Dragon has an element of fate and his next film STR 51 also is a fantasy entertainer. “If things are meant to happen, it will. With fantasy, there is a beautiful element of what if. You can explore many ideas, and it intrigues not just me but also audience. But if not done right, you may not be able to empathise with the characters and get lost in story. There should be balance between the what if and real-life drama and that is what I am trying to do with my films.”

‘Tamil industry is best industry where there is no nepotism’

As a young director himself, Ashwath feels that it is the best time to see influx of new artistes coming into the industry. “Pradeep came from nowhere and he is a star now. He had opened gates and anybody now can become an actor. Audience is ready to accept good talent and you cannot blame them. Some examples would be Pradeep, Vijay Sethupathi sir, Sivakarthikeyan sir and so one. Our industry is best industry where there is no nepotism and talents have come. It is high time people capitalise on it.”

Ashwath feels like films like Annamalai, Suryavamsam, Kadhaliku Mariyadhai are family dramas within the commercial space that have fared well with the audience. With Dragon too coming from such a space of being a family drama, the director points out how successful films so far have been family dramas, the key being repeat value. “I feel my films have repeat values. It is not based on a twist, but on emotions where they can come back and watch it as comfort. I think family audience are most important for theatres. I think all my films will be family-centric ones. If at all, I want to do something experimental, I will let people know beforehand instead of trying to bring them into theatres as well. The moment you see Dragon, you know Ashwath Marimuthu is family friendly director.”

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If there is one major learning that Ashwath got recently, he says, “When I made my first film, I was fighting the one battle of making a good film. Now I am fighting two battles, making a good film and handling social media. I guess we are doing both great as of now,” he signs off.

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