Bigg Boss Tamil 9 was launched on Sunday by Vijay Sethupathi, following which the first day's tasks and drama have kicked off. In the morning of the first day, comedian Vikkals Vikram and filmmaker Praveen Gandhi are seen speaking about his work as a director, in which the latter recalled the time when SJ Suryah was his assistant.
In a clipping shared from the 24×7 streaming of Bigg Boss Tamil season 9, Vikram asked Praveen, "Sir, are you used to sleeping wherever you find space and time due to your filmmaker experience?" To this, Praveen Gandhi went back to his days as a filmmaker as well as an assistant.
“Back then, the life of an assistant director was very different. We worked tirelessly, almost like slaves, but with immense passion. Today’s assistants have it easier; many have their parents’ support. In our time, parents discouraged us from entering the film industry, so we had to prove ourselves just to survive," he said, explaining how tough it was back then. He continued by sharing an example of how difficult it would be. "There were no microphones or advanced equipment. We used tape recorders to capture everything and would stay up all night transcribing notes for the next day’s shoot. Having gone through all that, my approach to filmmaking naturally carried the same intensity and discipline.”
Further, he also spoke with high regard about SJ Suryah, who is now a successful actor and filmmaker. He said, "SJ Suryah was one of my assistants. He’s absolutely crazy about cinema, probably even more than I am. He worked with me in the late ’90s, and when I’d assign him a task, he’d simply hitch a ride on someone’s two-wheeler and travel across the city to get it done. Today’s assistants aren’t like that, but to be fair, they don’t need to be, as everyone owns a bike now.”
Praveen Gandhi is known for helming films like Ratchagan, Jodi and Star. Meanwhile, SJ Suryah is currently busy with his directorial comeback, Killer, in which he also stars alongside Preethi Asrani. On the acting front, he has Love Insurance Kompany, Indian 3, Sardar 2, Bro Code, and Adhira.