When there are conversations about how contemporary cinema prefers pace over clarity and spectacle over richness in storytelling, filmmaker Suresh Krissna reposed faith in what is disrespectfully termed 'old-school' filmmaking with his recent film Charukesi, headlined by Y Gee Mahendra. In this conversation with CE, the Baashaa helmer states his beliefs on why the changing consumption pattern in Tamil cinema will have no effect on music and melodies, in particular, and how the appetite for soulful storytelling will never have an expiry date.
Excerpts:
You made a musical film, Charukesi, recently, after the 1999 film Sangamam. How do you assess the change in the music scene since then?
Nowadays, most films don't require more than two songs, and even they are played in the background with actions and scenes that wouldn't let you focus on the music. But I need to have at least four songs in my films. I strongly feel presentation and song situations matter. Who will say, 'No, I don't want songs in a movie,' if a legend like Shankar Mahadevan lends his voice?
Your music taste in films is very unique for the placement of melodies and Carnatic aesthetics. Tell us about that.
Melodies are an inseparable part of me. No matter what subject I deal with in a film, I would work a melody song with Carnatic sensibilities around it. Take Sathya, a mass commercial film, but it still had a place for 'Valaiyosai'. That song remains the anthem for lovers who take a bus. And also, 'Annamalai Annamalai' in Annamalai, and 'Nee Nadandhaal' and 'Thanga Magan' in Baasha, belong in that league. The blend of Classical and Western beats is such a pleasure to work on and listen to. My favourite relaxation is listening to KJ Yesudas. That kind of sums up. I am also happy that I got to work in Charukesi with Deva, whose Gaana works often overshadow his timeless melodies.
How has your rapport with Deva evolved over the years?
Everyone has that friend with whom you would have gone without talking for years, but still, if you happen to meet them again, you both make up for it. The changing times have not changed our approach towards music and definitely not our personalities. To be frank, recording for Baasha with Deva seems like yesterday.
You have also had a stint at the theatre. How helpful was it with Charukesi?
I was in the theatre back in Mumbai. We used to be a part of many plays in Gujarati, Marathi, and Hindi. That was when I learnt what was centrestage, what was right and left of the focus, and how to light. But when I came to films, I was clear that nothing done in a theatre could be done in a film. But as far as Charukesi is concerned, I feel that the strong point is that its story naturally lent itself to a film adaptation. It took me just three days to come up with a screenplay for the film. Y Gee Mahendra is a great theatre artist. In fact, I would say his acting prowess has been more properly utilised in plays than in films. His character remains silent for the whole second half of the play, but people were still engrossed. That made me think about an adaptation. Also, Rajinikanth loved the play, and his initiative for a feature adaptation gave me confidence.
Did factors like a change in the audience's taste ever pull you back?
No, first let them drink the coffee and decide whether they like coffee or not. Yes I do agree that people nowadays prefer fast-paced action movies. But let's not forget films like Tourist Family are also finding takers. I feel Charukesi came at the right time when people are in the mood to watch something slow-paced as a relief from jump-cuts and other things.
Were you worried that Charukesi might only appeal to a niche audience, or were you going for the longevity of a Shankarabharanam or Sindhu Bhairavi?
Sankarabharanam is a class apart film where K Viswanath would have played around the musical richness. Whereas, Sindhu Bhairavi, in which I have also worked, will have musical richness, an intense human drama, and a clash between folk and classical music. A very K Balachander-sir thing indeed. Both movies have inspired me in their own ways. It's been a long time since such a film has come. As far as Charukesi is concerned, it was about a musician who suffers from Alzheimers. It is just that he could have been anyone. Charukesi is again a human drama with real-life conflicts, and since the protagonist is a musician, we got an extra excuse to use carnatic music.
