In ‘Brother’, director Rajesh is writing a film about interpersonal relationships and the future of comedy

A still from ‘Bhai’ and director Rajesh Photo credit: Special Arrangements

Rajesh is the director behind the hit Like Shiva Mansula Shakti, Boss Ingira Bhaskaran AndOru Kal Oru KannadiOften seem like an extension of his film’s protagonists; He is calm, composed, extremely casual and one joke away from making you laugh out loud. After several youth oriented films, this is his upcoming film brotherStarring Jayam Ravi and Priyanka Mohan, brought him back to commercial family entertainment.

Some parts of the conversation…

Your films have mainly been about interpersonal relationships. What excites you about such character dynamics?

I draw a lot from real life events, and the idea is to narrate these stories in an interesting way so that it is relatable to the masses. Apart from reflecting events in my personal life, the trope naturally lends itself to interesting stories brother This is also such a film.

I am very attached to my family. Just a few days after release Boss Engira sculpture (2010), My Father Is Dead. After engineering, I worked in IT but quit to become an AD and even though he didn’t like me coming into films, he saw Shiva Mansula Shakti (2009) in theater that made him happy. He was a bit upset because the film had drinking sequences. Although the film was a huge success with the youth, family audiences were disgusted by scenes of drinking and pre-marital sex. Like all other directors I want everyone to see my film and brother There will be such a movie. Its basic idea brother Based on a real life incident of a friend. It will be a feel-good, complete family entertainment perfect for the festive season.

Speaking of criticism, how do you respond considering the glorification of alcoholism or “item” songs are being scrutinized more than ever?

I think the script and the casting decided to be part of it. If Santhanam sir is in the film, humor will prevail. He may be a part of a few emotional sequences in an otherwise fun film but it cannot be devoid of comedy scenes. Similarly, I want to give importance to every character in the film. In brother Also, we have a combination and the film cannot be made without one of them. An item song may be required if it helps the flow of a script or if the film is about gangsters. brother There is no such scene though.

Priyanka Mohan and Jayam Ravi in ​​a still from ‘Brother’ Photo credit: Special Arrangements

When we’re casting, it seems none of your films are written for specific actors. Is it intentional?

Yes, I write my script first and then figure out who will fit into it. brother Set in Ooty and with such a story comes the cost of outdoor shooting and a huge cast list. In a film like this without grand action sequences, the music has to be exceptional and we have Harris Jayaraj sir on board. When so many qualities come together, a star like Jayam Ravi Sir is needed. Met him during the shooting Egilan And his lineup was full of thrillers. I narrated three scripts and he chose this one because he had made such a film and when I saw the final product, I realized that his judgment was correct.

Do you change the script after finalizing your lead cast?

Yes, every actor has their strengths and with Ravi sir, though he is great with humor, he is great in emotional sequences. He proved it in films like this Santosh Subramaniam And Unakkum EnakkumAnd brother One such film will be. It’s not often that the entire crew applauds in unison after a successful shot, and his performance makes this happen during the shoot.

You are known for your films and when you entered the industry, the concept of comedy tracks started to decline and you were instrumental in bringing in comedy films of friends. With this phase now fading, how is humor being treated from a writing perspective?

As you mentioned, I think the buddy comedy trend started Shiva Mansula Shakti And many films with similar tropes came after it. That trend ended with comedians becoming heroes. A script that naturally has room for humor to work. If comedy is forced into a film, it may no longer work. It may provide momentary gags but the audience will forget them the moment they walk out of the theater. While it’s nice to see comedians becoming heroes, we don’t have comedians right now. A new generation of comedians is already out there and they will be mainstream soon.

Jayam Ravi in ​​a still from ‘Bhai’ Photo credit: Special Arrangements

‘Bhai’ also marked your reunion with Harris Jayaraj and the track ‘Makkamishi’ went viral. How did that come about?

exactly like ok For me, Ravi sir’s collaboration with him, Engyum Kadhal, It was a huge hit and we were particular about ropeing in Harris sir. ‘Makkamishi’ is an opening song and while trying to nail it, Sir’s keyboard programmer mentioned rap singers and one of them was Pal Dabba real name Anish. We listened to his track ‘Ai Ai’ which was fun and funky. Harris sir also liked it and we got him on board. Unlike professional songwriters, we cannot ask them to work on a tune and we asked him to freestyle it but he wanted a beat which Harris sir made on his mobile phone. Aneesh came up with ‘Makkamishi’ which seemed to imply proud grandeur and we started jamming with it. The idea is to talk about society and that’s why it has everything from voting to rainwater harvesting

Is there a reason you don’t work with industry A-listers?

It was a long time wish but the star is focusing on big scale action films. The genre also fits perfectly for the scale of their films as the films have to work beyond our borders. Rarely, choice depending on For Vijay sir, do they want to do family entertainment? They won’t accept an action script from me (laughs) as actors want to collaborate with me for family stories or funny scripts aimed at youngsters.

It ultimately comes down to business aspects. Jai BheemDirected by TJ Gnanavel Vettain On a whole new scale with an ensemble casting. When we have to make a film that has to do well in other languages ​​as well as overseas, the room for experimentation is limited. Said, like the picture Mayazhagan It is being well received by the audience which is a healthy trend. An actor like Karthi could have continued with action films Sardar But to break that and make a film like this is a big deal. The frequency of such films has dwindled and I hope we get more of them.