TJ Gnanavel on Rajinikanth’s ‘Vettaiyan’: Art is a tool, a weapon... but it all comes down to who’s wielding it

A day before the film’s release, filmmaker TJ Gnanavel talks about the Rajinikanth-Amitabh Bachchan starrer ‘Vettaiyan’, working with an ensemble cast, and why custodial torture is iniquitous

TJ Gnanavel is probably the only two-film-old filmmaker in recent times, apart from Pa. Ranjith, to helm a Rajinikanth-starrer; the filmmaker calls the experience of making the film — which also marks Amitabh Bachchan’s Tamil debut — rightfully “surreal”.

Calling it an exciting venture, Gnanavel says, “Doing a Rajini sir film is exciting and the addition of stars like Amitabh sir, Rana Daggubati and Fahadh Faasil, makes it more exciting. There’s also the responsibility to justify their presence in the film and I believe we have done a good job at it.”

Excerpts from the conversation:

There’s a 50-year pattern on how a Rajini sir film should be and one cannot break that mould. If you can embed your story within that pattern then that’s a win-win situation. The idea was to give an entertaining story without disappointing his fans.

I think terms like ‘mass’, ‘commercial’ and ‘message’ are approached from a narrow perspective. For example, Jai Bhim had mass scenes — not for Suriya sir but for Sengeni (Lijomol Jose). The scene where she walks out of the police station features a grand orchestration recorded in a Hollywood studio. It would have been a mass theatre moment had the film been released theatrically. I believe mass moments aren’t restricted to actors but also scenes. When you have someone like Rajini sir, such moments come in quite organically. With a body of work spanning over 50 years, such scenes come up naturally while writing the script itself. Also, irrespective of who is playing the lead, every film needs its heroic moments. The recent Lubber Pandhu didn’t have superstars, but it had moments created around its lead actors.

We decided to work together even before we got married; she worked on Jai Bhim’s screenplay as well. As far as collaborating with her is concerned, there’s no specific need to make her understand what I am thinking on the sets. During extensive schedules, I might have to stay on the sets the whole day and I don’t need to explain to my wife as she’ll also be beside me. We indulge in open discussions and thanks to her, I also get a fresh female perspective. She’s also a hardcore Rajini sir fan!

Their world is subjected to a lot of criticism and I strongly feel it needs reform. Custodial torture has no place in a democratic, modern society and if it persists, it means we haven’t reached that level as a society. Custodial torture is illegal as well as ethically wrong. As I come from a journalism background, I have a broader perspective on it; I have met those who have experienced it and those experiences might reflect in my works.