Director Radha Mohan on his web-series ‘Chutney Sambar,’ working with Yogi Babu, and 20 years in the movies

‘Mozhi’ and ‘Abhiyum Naanum’ director Radha Mohan talks about his web-series debut ‘Chutney Sambar,’ working with Yogi Babu, and completing 20 years in the industry

It was a pleasant surprise for director Radha Mohan when I pointed out that it’s been 20 years since he debuted with Azhagiya Theeye (2004). “I wouldn’t have realised it hadn’t you mentioned it. It’s been very eventful and I’ve learned a lot. Being a part of this industry for so long by itself is quite a big deal and I’m happy for it,” smiles the filmmaker, who is making his OTT debut with Disney+ Hotstar’s Chutney Sambar starring Yogi Babu in the lead.

Excerpts from a conversation:

In the world of entertainment, web-series has become an inevitable medium and I have been wanting to do one for a while now. Unlike a film, a series needs a bigger story. When this story came up, the idea was to make a film out of it. It’s a story that can only be headlined by Yogi Babu and if not for him, I would have dropped this project. When he said he liked the story, I started developing it and then the tie-up with Hotstar and Vels International came up.

When they broached the idea of turning it into a series — a format I have been eyeing for a while — I took it up. We also felt when there’s an influx of murder mysteries, something breezy and comical would be a welcome change. As the screenplay structure is different, we worked on the story, added more characters and made sure there was a hook at the end of each episode.

I couldn’t think of anyone else for this character. Be it his looks or the backstory of his character in the series, only he could pull off this role. Not all comedians can play lead characters. The idea was not to make him a hero; he is apt for this character and I’ve done this before too (in Uppu Karuvaadu). I have always believed that Yogi Babu is not just a comedian and can pull off serious emotions in a style unique to him. He’s a natural actor who improvises on the set with dialogues, so how he approaches emotional scenes is also unique.

In films, there’s only so much we can write as a backstory for supporting roles, but a series has the space for each one of them to have their own arcs and goals that have an impact on the overarching story. It was challenging to write such characters. We also have to pique their curiosity at the end of each episode and that’s something that should stay relevant to the story; it cannot be intentionally misleading akin to what we see in crime thrillers often. Thankfully, it all came well together.

That’s the biggest learning process. The idea is to make content that would make an impact when seen on a mobile phone. For an emotional scene, for example, a mid-shot might not have the same impact a close-up would; especially if it’s a performance-heavy scene instead of a dialogue-oriented one.