Who would have thought director H Vinoth would face more hurdles when making films with superstars? Of course, his first two films — Sathuranga Vettai (2014) and Theeran: Adhigaaram Ondru (2017) — faced issues of their own, but Vinoth struck gold and became one of the most inspiring and original filmmakers in Tamil cinema. However, be it Valimai (2022) with Ajith Kumar, or Tamil Nadu CM Joseph Vijay’s cinematic swansong, Jana Nayagan (2026), Vinoth faced long periods of uncertainty. Nevertheless, Jana Nayagan, which was initially scheduled for a January release, is finally hitting the screens on Thursday. While there is a lot of chatter around the momentousness of the occasion, we sat down with Vinoth to understand the person behind the filmmaker. What keeps him calm when everything around him is loud and chaotic? Basically, ahead of the release of Jana Nayagan, the world will talk about Vijay, and rightfully so, but let's try to understand why Vinoth does what he does.
Excerpts from the conversation:
While remaking Bhagavanth Kesari into Jana Nayagan, you said it was important to cater to Tamil sensibilities. What do you think is that sensibility?
Through films like Kadhal and Paruthiveeran, our filmmakers have shown the audience how impactful drama can come through even in realistic films. So, when they see a true-blue cinematic approach to drama, they feel a sense of tiredness. But in Telugu, their heroes are still allowed to do the heroism that is expected in commercial cinema. Entertainment value trumps logic there. Here, we must be aware not to feed the trolls.
Also, as a society, there is a lot of rational thinking here. Even if you are not literate, the Tamil language teaches you a lot.
Can you elaborate on it? What do you mean by rational thinking in our collective society?
See, if you know quintessential Tamil proverbs like ‘Agathin azhagu mugathil theriyum’ you would understand the basics of medicine. There is Thirukural, as well, which spells out how lives must be led. Interestingly, we also had someone like Periyar who brought these thoughts into the limelight, and yet, fought against the deification of the same. The moment society tried to glorify something as sacrosanct, he wanted to break it down. He influenced Tamil society, and the same happened through the words and works of Anna, Ambedkar, Gandhi, Rettaimalai Srinivasan, and many Tamil emperors. They have fed us rational thinking through the years. Of course, such thinking is there in other places as well, but I do think we have more of it, and the thinking pattern reflects the same.
Jana Nayagan wasn’t the film you wanted to make with Vijay, right?
Vijay sir has been successful for over 30 years, and there is a reason for it. He has a clear formula for what is right, what will be successful, and what will not.
But when they move past the idea you had, would you hold on to your idea, or tweak it to suit them?
Say, we have an argument about something, or there is a chance of us collaborating on a project. I will tell my point of view a couple of times, and try to reason it out with you. But I won’t push it to a third time. There are two reasons for it: I’d assume you haven’t taken the effort to understand where I’m coming from, or you don’t need to take what I am offering. It is the same with cinema.
I am trying to do a film with you. If the film that I want to do doesn’t happen, I don’t mind doing the film that happens to me.
Talking about films that happen to you, there are people who still ask why you aren’t doing films like Sathuranga Vettai or Theeran?
Honestly, I understand the comparison. They see it as the finest product I’ve done, and they want more of the same. But society has different levels of awareness and knowledge, right?
People talk about the 1 per cent club that holds all the money in the world. And then, there is the 10 per cent club that influences what the other 90 per cent should think, right? My need, through my films, is to reach that majority. I don’t want to preach to the choir, and to those who are already aligned to my thinking pattern.
Say, I am saying a 100 different things in my films, and your reaction is, “Yeah, he has represented all that is happening.” It doesn’t excite me. What I actually want is to reach the people who are not aware that they are being influenced in a particular way. I want to indulge with that 90 per cent, and for that… I need a STAR.
Even with stars, can today’s films actually challenge how the modern-day consumption of cinema, like second-screen viewing, streaming platforms, etc…
Technology gives you a lot of freedom. Back in the day, unless you came from a cinema background or good economic status, you couldn’t bypass the route of spending years together with a senior director, almost like a gurukul system. Now, that is not the case. Even someone from an ordinary family, or a village, can make it big. In fact, I saw news about a sanitation worker having made an animated film. Technology made it possible.
Even if you like it or not, the world is proceeding towards streaming, and we have to accept the same.
But does that affect the way you make a film?
We have to go back to the age-old jargon: Content is king. The audience will have different ways to watch a film. They might be walking, working out, or doing any other activity, and watch a film simultaneously, and even without an actual screen. As filmmakers, our job is to tell the stories we want to tell, and the stories we think people should know.
You are also keeping up with the proliferation of AI in filmmaking, right?
I am working with Hybrid Studio to figure out AI filmmaking. They have a workflow model in place, and we are trying out something new. We have seen some interesting outputs from the basic ideas that we have already kept in place. We are looking for investors, and if things fall in place, we might just embark on that journey, as well.
Coming back to Jana Nayagan, apart from it being quite a powerful moniker, was there any other reason to name it so?
In a diverse country like ours, democracy is very important. We are a republic, and the government has the duty to protect our constitutional rights. When that doesn’t happen, chaos ensues. That is why I chose this title, because, as long as Jana Nayagan is echoed in the minds of people, Jana Nayagam (Democracy) will also do so.
Finally, fear is an important theme in Jana Nayagan… As someone who is socially conscientious, what is your biggest fear for society as a whole?
The fragmentation of people, and how social media is being used as a powerful tool to do so. We are seeing how the selfishness of a few is pulling apart people and keeping them at loggerheads. I fear a society where people aren’t allowed to develop a mindset that rejects hate or dismisses unity. It is imperative we have policies and laws to curb hate and lies. I will always fear a society where these aren’t the norm.
