Interview: There’s magic in negative roles and I love playing them, says Gautham Menon

A. Though I love all the films I directed, I would say Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (Ye Maaya Chesave in Telugu) is my all-time favourite. It is followed by Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (VTK).

Simbu deserves huge applause for his performance in VTK and for surpassing my expectations. He is an amazing actor and is effortless too. I’m looking forward to working with him again.

Q. In a recent interview, you praised Samantha Ruth Prabhu for improving as an actor. What about the other actors whom you have worked with?

Gautham Menon is currently celebrating the success of The Life of Muthu aka VTK. (South First)

A. Not just Samantha, but a lot of actors I teamed up with have improved as performers. And one of them is Suriya.

I liked Suriya’s performance in my movie Kaakha Kaakha (2003). Five years later, when I did Vaaranam Aayiram (Surya Son of Krishnan in Telugu) with him, I realised that he was a better version of himself.

This has been the case with all the actors whom I worked with. Even Simbu improved as a performer over the past few years. And this is quite a good thing!

Q. It’s been two decades since your debut in the filmdom. Over these years, did you observe any changes in the craft of filmmaking?

A. Yes, of course. Filmmaking has witnessed a couple of changes – minor and major.

While long, short and close shots are all familiar since time unknown, the kind of cameras used, digitisation and sync sound have all undergone drastic changes, thanks to technological upgradation.

Now, it is all about how the director wants to shoot a particular scene. But when it comes to the craft of filmmaking, I think it varies from each director and technician.

Q. For a story like VTK/The Life of Muthu, you could have chosen any young actor or probably launch one. But why did you choose Simbu?

A. While writing the story for VTK, Jeyamohan sir did say that we should go for a debutant actor or someone who is just two films old to play the protagonist.

But I couldn’t imagine anyone else other than Simbu for Muthu’s character. So, I decided to sign him up for the project. And I’m glad that I didn’t make the wrong choice.

Q. Most directors focus only on the performances of actors. But how particular are you about the camera framing, angles and shots?

A. Earlier, I never used to notice anything but the performances of my actors. But then, I turned into a person who is picky about the camera frames and how the shot looks on the monitor.

I’m also particular about how the scenes I imagine or visualise are translated onscreen. Thankfully, all the cinematographers I have worked with know my tastes quite well and what I want.

Q. What’s the reason behind you playing characters with negative or grey shades? 

A. I love playing negative-shaded roles. I really don’t know why filmmakers approach me only with such characters. But if you make me choose between a soft, easy and breezy character and a negative role, I would definitely vote for the latter. There’s magic in such characters.

Q. On one hand, you are busy developing storylines, scripts, pre-production, etc. And on the other, you’re signing films as an actor. How are you striking a balance between the two jobs?

A. I am acting not because I need money, but because it gives me mental space which, in turn, helps me focus.

Moreover, I don’t have to perform the entire day. In between the shots, I do get break time which I utilise in different ways. I use this time to work on my storylines, pre-production, follow-up on pending issues, etc. So, I’m happily juggling the roles.

Q. What are your next projects?

A. As a director, I have a few in my mind. The final decision is yet to be made. And as an actor, I’m playing a protagonist in Michael. The film has come out really well, though a three-day shoot is pending. It will be a great watch.