Vaaran Aayiram - Movie Review

From The Hindu, 03-Oct-2008.

Vaaranam Aayiram is an emotional, personal film, says Gautham Vasudev Menon.

Three days after he (father) passed away, I decided I must do this film.

 
Audience expectations are high: Gautham Vasudev Menon

In the generally conservative film industry that thrives on star-worship, this man has the courage to call a spade a spade. Gautham Vasudev Menon is indeed a gutsy filmmaker. He’s also the rare professional who takes criticism with all sincerity.

Yes, MAN is the word because ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ is all about the essence of being the man you look up to. Being the man who can sweep the girl off her feet with his strength, poise and courage.

It’s an emotional, personal film straight from the heart for Gautham, considering it was born out of his father’s death. “Three days after he passed away, I decided I must do this film. I went through a lot of emotions when I came back from the funeral and when I sat to write the film a week later, I thought I could put all that into the film as a tribute to my father.”

No action film

‘Vaaranam Aayiram,’ he underlines, is not an action film. It’s a coming-of-age drama where boy becomes man. “Because at every point, when you are young and discovering life and what it’s like… with the evil lurking around the corner or a love that hits you and at every point, I thought that the father could be the inspiration which is how it was for me.”

There is no commercial thought that dictated the content, he says.

“ …I thought let me make a film that deserves what it needs and nothing more. So I was thankful for someone like Suriya who straightaway said ‘Yes’. At the Filmfare Awards, I remember him calling me and saying: ‘I hugged my Dad on stage after I worked on this project. I knew people would think it’s for show but I realised it was a great moment to hug him because at home, I’ve never hugged him.”

Cheran and Raj Kapoor

Any influences? “If you say it reminds you of ‘Autograph,’ I would be happy because I love that film and I like Cheran as a filmmaker. I’ve grown up watching Raj Kapoor films because my Dad asked me to watch them. I like the way music wasn’t thrown in and takes the story forward. So those are influences but I’ve not copied any scene... But just like Forrest Gump sits and talks about his past, here, when a set of memories are triggered by an incident, his whole life unfolds before him.”

Did he make Suriya starve for the six-pack? “Definitely not,” he laughs.

“When I narrated the script, I said I also wanted to give a small message to youngsters that if at all you are going through a low phase in life, working out and pushing yourself to the limit might be a good way to overcome anything instead of smoking and drinking. So Suriya said: ‘I’ll do a six-pack.’ But when I saw what he was doing, I told him not to do it. There were times he wasn’t eating breakfast and skipping meals. He pushed himself.” He’s all praise for Suriya. “Seriously, the things he does for the director and the film. There is hardly anyone who is capable of performing like him.”

Gautham also shares a special relationship with Harris Jayaraj. “When I took ‘Pachaikili,’ he said, ‘Don’t do it’. Your audience is expecting a big film. This time, we’ve done a Gaana. It’s a first for us. I got up and danced like how Suriya would dance (we hadn’t shot the song) and so I danced like for one minute. He laughed his guts out and then worked the groove out. He trusts me completely and I trust him. We’ve done 35 songs and not even once, have I said I don’t want the song after listening to it.”

Being a successful filmmaker, he has to deal with escalating expectations and uncontrollable hype.

“I don’t think I have a fan base but ‘Pachaikili’ proved that people have certain expectations from me. That’s when I started thinking maybe you should be careful but then, that’s bad. Because you start writing for the audience and you can’t make a film you want to make. So somewhere you have to balance that.”