Veetla Vishesham is my KGF, says RJ Balaji on directing the Tamil remake of Badhaai Ho

RJ Balaji is a happy man. As anticipated, Veetla Vishesham, his third film as a director, has struck gold at the box office. In a conversation with OTTplay, the RJ-actor-filmmaker tells why he knew the Tamil remake of Badhaai Ho would work in his favour.

Excerpts from an interview:

Let's start with the writing process, and challenges of writing for a film, as a team.

I'd say that's our strength and we take the writing part sincerely. Our day starts at 7.30 am and ends by 4.30 pm. We write till 1 pm. Post-lunch break, we move on to lesser significant tasks like meeting people. We did this every day, for almost five months, for Veetla Vishesham. I enjoy the process of writing, as a team—be it for my radio shows, podcasts and so on. Previously, we used to shoot a lot, not knowing what to edit, which wasn't the case with my recent film. Everything was planned, and we took five months to rewrite the entire script of Badhaai Ho in Tamil. A bunch of us evolved, as a team, right from my first film, LKG.

Our team isn't the first to introduce a writer's room. It existed even in the 60s. But, I wasn't sure if writers were credited for their contributions. (Smiles) In the recent past, the concept of a writer's room was formalised. Our team has a mix of people from different backgrounds, and there's zero hierarchy. We write together and make films together. Thankfully, we have gotten only better with every film.

Good to know that. Writing, as a team, I understand. But how does it work when it comes to filming?

Different people have different skill sets, and we put everything into use. As we are like-minded, it has worked for us. I get what you are saying. With so many voices in a room, conflicts are inevitable—yes. But, we don't sit and fight. We are adults, who share the same vision. For instance, say, we have eight writers; each one will take the film in a different direction. For Mookuthi Amman, we had a female writer. Her perspective helped us to create a pivotal plot point. Co-writing is possible only when you are comfortable with each other! (Laughs)

Your previous films, LKG and Mookuthi Amman weren't remakes, but Veetla Vishesham was. How did you go about approaching the script, as a team?

We approached Veetla Vishesham, as a fresh film, after analysing the negative aspects of Badhaai Ho. We didn't want to simply translate the original and make another version in Tamil. For example, in Badhaai Ho, they would have shown that “abortion is a sin”. That was the reason for Neena’s character to keep the baby! We didn't want to take that route in our film. Women needn't justify their decisions all the time. We thought it was up to the woman to do what she wants with her body. And, if a woman wants to have a child at 50; so be it. Society can't shame her for her choices, any day.

That's right. Moving on... You have directed Veetla Vishesham along with NJ Saravanan. What are his strengths?

Saravanan has been into movies since 2001. He's everything that I am not! Naturally, we fit in. (Laughs) Saravanan is as calm as MS Dhoni, and he's my captain cool, quite literally! We complement each other and whenever he says something, I listen to him. We have had varied opinions, but I trust his views. When we first collaborated on LKG, the process of co-directing was a tad chaotic. Mookuthi Amman was good and Veetla Vishesham was both satisfying and better! (Grins) I am proud of having made this one. This is my KGF!

Did you not think that remakes were risky?

Not at all. How many people in Tamil Nadu would have watched Badhaai Ho? Okay; let's leave that. Tell me, how many have subscribed to the OTT platform that Badhaai Ho is streaming on? I wanted Veetla Vishesham to reach the rural pockets of our State. That's why we had a grand theatrical release. As long as there are interesting stories to be told, remakes will exist. My second film, Mookuthi Amman, was targeted at the family audience, and we realised writing emotions and getting them translated onto the screen, was our team's strength. Veetla Vishesham seemed an apt decision, after all.

You are known for a particular brand of comedy and Veetla Vishesham is a comedy entertainer. Was the acting process easier because you are naturally a funny person?

There is content, there is emotion, and social commentary attached to the humour. It is not easy to sound funny and be politically right, always. Some day, I knew I would get there. People get hurt fast, so I try to avoid things that demoralise anything or anyone, in general. I am not saying we have made a perfect film. I learn from mistakes; we all do. It's all a learning curve.

You were promoting Veetla Vishesham all over India. You were in Mumbai, giving interviews to the press. And, Sathyaraj was seen with you, in one of your IPL commentaries, too!

Oh, yes. I aggressively promote my films. Nah, to be honest, I over promote them. Because I want my films to be watched by everyone. I wanted Veetla Vishesham to be everywhere. I made sure people knew our film was released in theatres. We designed promotional strategies accordingly; met people, shot content and put them out on social media. As for Sathyaraj sir, he was sweet enough to oblige, whenever I called him for interviews. Usually, he doesn't do that. (Smiles)

What was it like working with Sathyaraj, Urvashi, the late KPAC Lalitha, Aparna Balamurali and the rest?

Urvashi ma'am is amazing. And, Sathyaraj sir is a brilliant actor. We had absolute fun on the sets. Ask Sathyaraj sir, he will say Veetla Vishesham is one of his favourite films. Needless to say about Lalitha amma... She was like a lioness. Ours was her last film! When you are working with talented people, I think it just rubs off on you too... It’s kind of infectious; their energy! Everyone is a hero in the film. It’s such a balanced film which focuses on everyone.

That's wonderful. Let's walk down memory lane a bit. Ten years ago, did you know that you'd be into films, as a director?

I had no clue and I am not a planner. From being an RJ to a podcaster now, it has been an incredible journey. Every responsibility that I take up has been an extension of my persona, and don't see them as different careers. But I give my best in whatever I do. For a long time, I was the best Radio Jockey, and my show ranked number one. The podcast that I do on Spotify is the most listened to, not just in Tamil Nadu, but the entire country, as well. I do what makes me happy. As long as I do things that make me happy, I know I won't be a disaster. (Laughs) Also, I'd like to thank Gautham Karthik and Atharvaa for making me believe I can write and be hero material.

I am sure. You aren't that active on social media these days. You come to Twitter only to promote your films. Don't you miss the space?

Being away is a well-thought-out decision and I don't crave attention anymore. I am done with saying something and getting caught in controversies. The real-time drama generated by trolls is disturbing. It tests a lot of our character and patience.

A lot of people show love and respect towards you. But, hey, at this point, do trolls bother you? Don't you think you have reached a stage past that?

Of course, yes. It disturbs me! (Smiles) Negative criticism triggers unnecessary emotion. And, why should I give them that space? I stopped doing that, long ago. I tweet about my films—yes. But, I don't want to read what people think about them. (Laughs)

Let's talk about the highs and lows of your life.

I always want to connect with people. That's what I did as an RJ. It was sort of high. As for acting, it’s good to build a certain niche for yourself and I can't emphasise how important that is. You need to know what kind of films work, and it's important to choose stories that work well with the audience. Looking back, I'd say I wasn't okay with some of the roles I did. But, that's how you learn. After turning into a writer-director, I got to pick what I liked, and that's nice. I come later; the script comes first. I explore such projects. There has to be certain value creation and a good balance between content and entertainment.