M Saravanan: Trisha was my first and only choice for Raangi

Director M Saravanan talks about returning to the Tamil film industry after seven years, casting Trisha in an action thriller, and how censorship curbs artistic expression 
M Saravanan: Trisha was my first and only choice for Raangi

The film industry is unique in how the societal memory of an artist goes on to dictate the success of their subsequent projects. In such conditions, it becomes imperative to keep churning out work, and coming back after years of sabbatical might as well mean that you’re making your debut again. But as for M Saravanan, who turned heads with a strong Tamil debut (Engaeyum Eppothum), a comeback film is like a debut with the added weight of expectations.

M Saravanan is back with an action thriller titled Raangi, which stars Trisha in the lead. All set to release on December 30, the film follows Trisha’s Thaiyal Nayagi, a journalist with a fierce personality who, while investigating an issue that affects her personal life, ends up unravelling a larger conspiracy that takes her on a perilous journey across boundaries.

When asked about his long absence, the director takes us back to 2015, “After my last Tamil film Valiyavan flopped, I went and did Chakravyuha in Kannada.” Apparently, his mentor AR Murugadoss had then suggested that he work from his office. “So I’d go there every day to work on my own scripts, but after noticing that I’m taking too long to finish my script, Murugadoss sir gave me a storyline and after I fleshed it out into a screenplay, he suggested I take it to Lyca Productions.” 

While the audience might have trouble imagining Trisha in a full-on action role, Saravanan feels confident about his lead actor, “Trisha was always my first option for Thaiyal Nayagi. The story demanded someone who has to carry the maturity of a senior journalist but should also look young and bold, and I found it all in Trisha.” Even though the film has Trisha, the star of some of the biggest romance hits in the industry, Saravanan says he did not feel the need to attach a romantic angle for Trisha’s character for the simple reason that the story did not demand one. However, he says, “Trisha does not have a romantic interest in the film but that does not mean that the film doesn’t have romance in it.” And when asked who Thaiyal Nayagi is, the director was quick to reply, “So Thaiyal Nayagi is a fierce journalist who goes to any length for that which she believes is the right thing to do, and that’s where the title Raangi comes in, we use that word to describe an arrogant woman but that word is also often used to denigrate independent, resolute women who stand by what they believe in.”

According to the director, Raangi also deals with a larger theme that works as a subtext to the main narrative. Saravanan explains, “A powerful person will always make sure that a person less powerful than them does not end up on top, we’ve seen this power struggle between people, communities, across social hierarchies. In the film, we've shown how that happens between two nations.” As a matter of fact, it was this part of the film, along with COVID restrictions, that ended up delaying the film’s release. “The film’s commentary on international politics created problems for us at the censors.” but then he cautiously maintains, “I wouldn’t say Raangi is a full-blown political thriller but we were still cautioned against naming certain countries and organisations at the censors.” Saravanan then puts forth his disapproval of such censorship in the form of a question, “When something is reported in the news as a fact, I don’t understand why it can’t be shown in a film.” This curtails an artist's creative expression, says Saravanan, he further elaborates his stance by saying, “So now when I sit down to write my film I have to think twice before writing every line and I have to be extra careful. It then becomes difficult to write in an effective way that drives home the point for your audience.”

The international portion of the filming took place in Uzbekistan under punishing weather that sank as low as -2 degree celsius. But despite the harsh weather, the challenging part of filming in the country was still the language barrier, says the director. But harsh weather, language barrier, and a tricky climax to the film were all worth it for Saravanan as he remains hopeful that the international setting, relevant themes, the romantic elements, and a fearsome female protagonist will all work to give an entertaining experience for the audience. 

After a strenuous, two-year-long struggle to release the film, one would think he might take a break to finally wind down and regroup. “I’ve taken one too many breaks,” the director chuckled before continuing, “I have trouble approaching people and my director (AR Murugadoss) knows this well, I guess that’s why he suggested I do this. I’ll just keep working on my scripts otherwise.” 

When asked about his plans for the future, the director took no time to reply, “I don’t want to become repetitive, I’m always on the hunt for something new.  I want to register new kinds of people on screen,” he ends the conversation by leaving a hint about his next project, “Just like how my previous films were completely different from one another, my upcoming film Naadu with Big Boss fame Tharshan will also be wildly different from Raangi.”

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