Selvaraghavan on Saani Kaayidham: ‘I used to call Dhanush every half an hour for inputs’
Selvaraghavan is a professional behind the digital camera. He has given us a few of Tamil cinema’s most tragic human tales and unforgettably complicated characters. But, he’s a novice when he’s put in entrance of the digital camera.
In an unique dialog with indianexpress.com, Selvaraghavan revealed the humbling expertise he had whereas engaged on Saani Kaayidham. “It’s really difficult. My brother (Dhanush) used to say that if you come before the camera, you will understand all the difficulties. Then, I never got it. When I started Saani Kaayidham, I realized how difficult it was to be in that mood. I used to call him every half an hour to take his input. ‘What should I do now? Now, I am bored. Can I read a book between the breaks? He guided me all the time,” the actor-filmmaker revealed.
Saani Kaayidham, which is about to stream on Amazon Prime Video from May 6, would have marked his display debut. Director Nelson Dilipkumar’s Beast pipped the movie at this distinction. In Beast, Selvaraghavan performed a supporting function. However, in Saani Kaayidham, Selvaraghavan and Keerthy Suresh are on the centre of the narration.
“She (Keerthy Suresh) is a phenomenal actress. I was blown over by her performance in Mahanati. She performed really, really well. When Arun told me that Keerthy will also be doing the film, I was thrilled and had so many questions (about Mahanati). She is brilliant in Saani Kaayidham. She is one of the finest actors we have in India right now. It’s a pleasure to watch her perform,” he mentioned.
Saani Kaayidham was a steep studying curve for Selvaraghavan because it form of challenged every thing he thought he knew about performing. “I used to act for my actors but it was a totally different thing when I had to memorize lines and say them in front of the camera. Every day was a challenge. I love to learn and after a few days, I got a hang of it and then it became an incredible experience,” he added.
Selvaraghavan is kind of impressed by Arun Matheswaran’s working model. “After the first few days, I called my creative producer and told him that Arun (on the sets) reminded me of myself when I was in my 20s. I am amazed. It’s raw talent and it’s an outstanding experience,” he mentioned.
The actor-filmmaker additionally heaped reward on Arun’s storytelling model. “It’s an entirely different kind of storytelling. You get immersed in the narration and scenes. He’s got a unique visual storytelling style. My wife saw the movie and she said, ‘it’s like watching poetry’. I’m so thrilled to see the reactions of the audience,” he added.
Arun Matheswaran made his directorial debut earlier this 12 months with Rocky. The movie made fairly an impression because of the director’s uncompromising interpretation of violence and the worth one has to pay within the pursuit of vengeance. The trailer and teaser of Saani Kaayidham additionally confirmed that Arun has once more explored the mindless nature of hate and the insatiable urge of people for violence.
And as a writer-director and now actor, Selvaraghavan is aware of the worth that makers need to pay to create such complicated characters in films. “During the process of making a film, be it romantic, historic or crime, I used to change a bit. My wife would ask why are you moody or why are you screaming? I realized what was happening to me. You think about what to say and narrate. You have to perform for the actors. And you are slowly evolving into the character. Then you should be really careful. The work-life shouldn’t affect your family. It’s a price that you have to pay even when you are a writer,” he mentioned.
