Venkat Prabhu on ‘Manmatha Leelai’: We are still conservative about watching two people kiss on screen

Filmmaker Venkat Prabhu on making an ‘adult comedy’ in ‘Manmatha Leelai’ releasing this Friday, and why he thinks the space for the genre is opening up 

There used to be a time when adultery was a recurring motif in the works of Tamil cinema’s legendary filmmakers: most of K Balachander’s were about a love triangle, Bharathiraja made an edgy Sigappu Rojakkal (1978) and a heartwarming Muthal Mariyathai (1985), Balu Mahendra had Rettai Vaal Kuruvi (1987) and Sathi Leelavathi (1995) . Given the history of films, adultery as a concept is not new to Tamil audiences. Nor is it revolutionary.

But the space it once had in mainstream cinema died down, believes Venkat Prabhu. This, however, was not the reason why he wanted to explore ‘adult comedy’ in Manmatha Leelai starring Ashok Selvan, Samyuktha Hegde, Riya Suman and Smruthi Venkat. From the films Prabhu caught on OTT platforms over the last two years, the director felt he was only watching “serious” content — whether it was Navarasa, Pava Kadhaigal or Putham Pudhu Kaalai. 

“Even the Malayalam films I saw had a serious overtone. I missed watching something ‘fun’. I told my assistant [Mani] about this and he came up with the story [of Leelai] and we both worked on the screenplay,” he says.

Venkat Prabhu wants to bring American Pie to Kollywood and Manmatha Leelai is the first step. It was originally conceived for an OTT platform, given the subject. Prabhu, however, clarifies that though it is an adult comedy, it is not crass. But the larger question is: Is there space here for a film like American Pie?

“I think people will slowly start opening up to it. We still have a conservative mindset about watching two people kiss on screen. But somehow they watch it secretly on their phones [ laughs]. We have been groomed like that. When you do an adult comedy, it shouldn’t be upsetting for the audience. With new filmmakers coming in, this is bound to change,” he says. 

Prabhu says he wanted to prepare the audience for its mature content through promos and trailers, a lesson he learnt from Massu Engira Masilamani’s failure. He knows people have been making jokes already from the trailer, which shows a man getting caught in the act. But Prabhu doesn’t care about them. “In fact, I was asked by someone why I have started making bittu padam [soft porn]. It is only a matter of perspective; you cannot consider every person’s opinion or how they would perceive it,” he says.

That brings us to an even bigger question of the hesitancy to show intimacy (not nudity) for a film exploring adultery. Prabhu believes we are still not ready.