Venu Kunnappilly: It's time producers realise they are the actual kings

The last few months have been a worrying phase for Malayalam cinema as the success rate of films plummeted to one of the lowest numbers in recent memory. Theatre owners and film producers have been repeatedly expressing concerns about the collapsing business and the need for an immediate resurrection. The resurgence has finally come in the form of 2018: Everyone is a Hero, a multi-starrer based on the devastating Kerala floods. Shattering multiple box-office records, the Jude Anthany Joseph directorial has breathed new life into the industry and its stakeholders. As the film emerges as the highest-grosser in Malayalam cinema history, we catch up with Venu Kunnappilly, one of its producers, to discuss all that went behind its making and more.

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You must be on cloud nine after scoring back-to-back monstrous hits with Malikappuram and 2018. What do you think is the reason for your success despite the dull phase in the industry?

In Malayalam cinema, the hardest thing to do is to find a producer. There are hundreds of writers and directors out there, but not many are ready to invest money. So, when word spreads about a new producer in town, several people start approaching. If 20 people approach me with a story, most probably, only one among them will be worthy of a discussion. If I feel the story is exciting and relevant, I'll then enquire about the director. A good story doesn't always make a good film, so you need an efficient director. After that, we'll look for the artists. There's a market value for each artist, which is crucial in finalising the scale of a project. The current scenario in Malayalam cinema is such that there's no guarantee in the theatre business. On top of that, the returns from OTT and satellite rights are also minimal. So, we cautiously fix a budget after considering all these factors. I guess all this constitutes my success formula.

What do you think are the qualities needed for a successful producer?

The first and foremost thing a producer should have is enough money to complete the entire project. What happens often is producers begin work without ample funds and find themselves bankrupt at the halfway stage. They are then forced to borrow money from private financiers for huge interests. Some are also unable to afford the hefty remuneration of actors. Naturally, the producer loses his respect and won't have a say in the project. But ideally, a producer should dominate proceedings and dare to intervene if he feels something is going wrong. I've seen many producers who are afraid of confronting actors when they are irregular for the shoot or don't attend promotions. It's unfortunate because these producers don't realise their worth. There is an abundance of writers, directors, and actors. But it's a producer and their hard-earned money that ultimately makes a film. It's time producers realise they are the actual kings.

Apart from money, a good producer should also have a strong conviction. They should be able to gauge if a story will work or not. There should also be firm control over the cash flow. If a director says this scene needs to be shot in Miami Beach, the producer need not immediately agree. They should try and check if it can be shot in Cherai Beach. Another important quality in cinema is to stay clean and honest. It's a place with all sorts of distractions.

Although you're a successful producer today, you had to face a lot of setbacks initially...

Despite knowing it's a risky business, I entered cinema purely out of my passion. My first project was supposed to be Karnan (announced by director RS Vimal) but backed out soon after its launch. It was then that Mamangam happened. It was a potential project, but it didn't work the way we wanted it to due to a lot of reasons. We presented it as a realistic tale from the 18th century, but today's audience wanted more heroism. 

2018 was first announced as 2403 ft. with Anto Joseph as the producer. How did the project eventually come to you?

The film was announced in September 2018 and shoot commenced the next year. They shot for some 10-12 days but had to stall work because of the pandemic and a few other reasons. In 2022, Anto Joseph approached me with this project and I heard a one-liner from Jude. It didn't initially work for me as I felt it was more like a documentary. I expressed my concerns, but Jude convinced me after repeated discussions. When he explained how they plan to shoot the flood portions and the crucial helicopter sequence, I became confident and I decided to take the plunge. We went on floors around June and by November, almost the entire shoot was done. We planned the shoot for 120 days but could wrap up in 104 days. It's no mean feat to complete a project of this scale in such a quick time. People within the industry still ask me about the magic behind it.

So what's the magic?

It's planning. Proper planning can help immensely in reducing the shooting days and thereby controlling the budget. This film is an example of how a mammoth project like this can be pulled off with the right involvement from the director, producer, art director, cinematographer, and editor.

What's the actual budget of 2018?

I'm not planning to disclose it to anyone, because Malayalis have this tendency to troll a film based on its budget. But one thing I can say is, it's around 5-6 times the budget of a normal Malayalam film. We exceeded the originally fixed budget when just 60 per cent of the shoot was completed. But we never stopped production and went ahead with whatever was needed to ensure the film matched international standards. For a film like this, most of the investment goes for the artwork. Since I'm also into construction, I was directly involved with the art department, which included the procurement of raw materials at cheaper rates. Jude was also thorough with what he wanted and shot only what was needed. All this helped us to limit the expenditure to a large extent.

Jude is known to be impulsive. Were they any creative differences during the shoot... 

Jude is an outspoken person who blurts out whatever he feels is right. He is also uncompromising when it comes to perfection, so there have been a few issues and arguments with the crew, but when you see the larger picture, all that was for the film's betterment. Jude had a lot of clarity regarding the final output and kept pushing the team toward it. We had fixed a certain budget for the VFX, but it shot up to over 50 per cent as they couldn't live up to Jude's vision. The work was distributed among multiple studios, and it was extremely hard to convince Jude. Even two days before release, he kept demanding corrections. That's the kind of persistence he had and it paid off. 

Despite being such a huge project, 2018 was released amidst minimal hype. Many, including Jude, felt the promotions should've been more aggressive...

If I've spent so much money on a film, do you think I don't know how to publicise it? I had initially set aside a sum of Rs 2 crores just for the promotional activities. But when I saw the film after all the post-production work was done, I became extremely confident in the product. That's when I thought, instead of making tall claims, let's maintain a low profile and leave it to the audience to experience the magic on screen. I know many had a difference in opinion, including Jude and he even posted about it on social media (which he later deleted). They all wanted full-page ads in leading dailies, but I didn't want to follow what others were doing. So, I waited and gave the ad on the 10th day when the film officially crossed the Rs 100 crore mark. That's something nobody has done before. Promotions should be like that. You've to stand out from the others. People are free to express their opinions, it doesn't cost them anything right? 

You sound miffed with the uninvited opinions and trolls. Is it the reason why you're deliberating on leaving Malayalam cinema?

Not everyone is fortunate to work in a field they're passionate about. But I'm one of those blessed souls who has the liberty and privilege to do what I enjoy. I came to cinema purely out of my passion, but somewhere down the line, I started losing it. The Mamangam episode is probably one of the reasons for it. The film didn't turn out as we expected, and people still troll me for it. I wonder why I should put in my hard-earned money and face such bullying. I wanted to sign off with a massive success, and 2018 has exceeded all expectations. I'm now seriously thinking about leaving Malayalam film industry and concentrating more on Hollywood. At least, people there won't drag your families and subject them to trolls. I had earlier produced a film there titled After Midnight. I'm next planning to make a film based on my own story, which was earlier published as a book. It's again a big-scale project that will be shot across the US and Africa.