Director Kalyaan: I can never write a film that everybody likes

Gulebhagavali and Jackpot fame director Kalyaan is back with 80s Buildup, a comedy film set in the 80s. With Santhanam at the helm of things, the film, which revolves around Tamil cinema's fan culture features an ensemble of the who's who of Tamil film comedians.

When asked about the lightbulb moment that gave him the idea behind the film, Kalyaan says, "Fan wars have always been a part of Tamil film culture. Such instances have happened in my family itself. While some members of my family were Rajini fans, some others were Kamal fans and when their films were released together, there would be fan wars at home. I wanted to make something that would be representative of the Tamil cinema aficionados."

While '80s' in the title directly refers to the period the film is set in, Kalyaan shares that the word Buildup has a small significance. "When we refer to someone’s exaggeration we say, “Enna over ah buildup panra.” These fans often overdramatise their love for their idols. Fans express this by wearing the same clothing as their idol or enacting a particular gesture performed by them. The title is to signify this aspect of the fans," he explains.

The ensemble cast of 80s Buildup includes KS Ravikumar, Aadukalam Naren, Redin Kingsley, Anandraj, Munishkanth, Sundarrajan, Mansoor Ali Khan, Rajendran, and late actors Mayilsamy and Manobala, among others. However, the female lead, Radhika Preethi, is a fresh face in films, although she is popular among the TV serial audience. "80s cinema had actors like Revathy and Seetha who had a homely countenance, and I wanted a person who would suit that sensibility. So I didn't mind that Radhika was new, as she fit the bill well," the director says on his choice.

Further elaborating on the troupe of comedians, Kalyaan says that he wanted the comedians to bring their own flavour of comedy to the film to make it a mixed-bag entertainment. "We write some situational comedy only for some people, as only they can pull it off. I have put all of these veterans together so they can bring their best to the table, and I have written their characters to their strengths."

This mostly entertaining fan culture also comes with its own evils. Even this year, a fan lost his life during the release of Vaarisu and Thunivu. Has Kalyaan addressed this aspect in 80s Buildup? "No star asks their fans to do 'paal abhishekam' or dance on top of tanks. But out of eccentricities, some fans do some foolish things, which affect the stars. While I have not dealt with this aspect of fan culture in detail, I have mentioned it briefly in my film," he reveals.

With the advent of social media, the audience has gotten a great platform to become critics themselves. While a good film is celebrated, social media has the capacity to blow up even a small mistake in a film and cancel it. Comedy is a trickier area when it comes to this gamble. However, Kalyaan is confident about the political correctness of this film.

"None of the characters or comedy is meant to offend the audience," he says especially referring to Anandraj's character being written as a transwoman. "I can never write a film that everybody likes. A director should not worry about two people disliking his work while 98 others like it. My audience will not regret coming for the film with their families," he explains reiterating that the film does not indulge in insult comedy either.

Coming up, Kalyaan has a film with Aishwarya Rajesh and Prabhudheva in lead roles. While the title is yet to be revealed, the director says, "This film is also an out-and-out comedy. All of these top comedians will be essaying prominent roles in that film as well."

With most of his filmography consisting of comedy films, Kalyaan has also helmed some serious ones like Kaathadi and Repeat Shoe. When asked if he would make more such films, the director signs off by saying, " In my opinion, people come to the theatres for pure entertainment. Everybody has some amount of sadness in their lives, and nobody lives life with complete satisfaction. While I have made serious films like Kaathadi and Repeat Shoe, I prefer to stick to comedy predominantly because I want my films to be a stress buster and a laughter-meditation of sorts for my audience."