Interview with Ravi K. Chandran, the director of Yaan

Tete-a-tete with Ravi K. Chandran, the director of “Yaan”

Exactly two minutes after I message Ravi K. Chandran requesting for an interview, I receive a call from him. That’s the fastest reply I’ve ever got from a celebrity, who usually take their own sweet time to even acknowledge a message, let alone call back promptly. I tell him that I would call back from my landline as it’s easier for me to record. And I call back and we start talking about his journey from one of the renowned cinematographers to a first-time director. We talk about “Yaan”, his directorial debut, working with Jiiva, a relatively newcomer Thulasi Nair and lot more.

Excerpts from the interview

You’ve been a successful cinematographer for over two decades. When did you decide to don the director’s hat?

I wanted to be a director for long but since I was too busy with my projects as a cinematographer with great filmmakers such as Mani Ratnam, Shankar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, I didn’t find the time to write and direct. Moreover, I wanted to finish one round of working with all these legends to learn as much as I could before I start my career as a director.

Did you enter films wanting to be a cinematographer or a director?

I always wanted to be a cinematographer, but I eventually wanted to make films as well. When you’re telling a story, you always represent the director’s vision as a cameraman. As a cinematographer you can’t tell your own story. You can only help the director to achieve his/her goal. Be it a music director, writer or even an editor, they all help a director achieve his vision but never get to tell their own stories. I wanted to tell my own stories in my own way and that’s when I decided I should direct.

How was “Yaan” conceived and what is it all about?

It’s a romantic story. I was inspired by a news article I had read in India Today long ago. I had written a small story idea based on it and my friend and co-writer of ‘Yaan’ said we should develop this into a script. We kept talking and finally even wrote a draft of the script but we didn’t follow up.

When did you write this rough draft?

It was 2006. It was a long time ago and I was busy with many projects. As soon as I finished working on a film, I would get another project. I never had the time to develop my script. I couldn’t take a break for about six months to pursue an actor and get things fall in place for my project. There’s a lot of work to take care of even before a film goes on floors. You need to meet a producer and convince him to fund your film. I didn’t do all that. It was only after ‘Agneepath’, I decided to take a break and start meeting actors. K.V Anand also advised me to stop shooting for films and start working on my project. I took his word seriously because he’s a successful cameraman-turned-director.

Why did you feel Jiiva and Thulasi were apt for the film?

I wanted to cast Abhishek Bachchan, but didn’t follow up with him after he read the script. I also approached Ranbir Kapoor, but again I didn’t pursue or convince him to do the film. All this happened long ago and for quite some time the script was just lying with me. At one point even Suriya read the script. A lot of actors read the script but I never chased them to start working on the film right away. I remember meeting Suriya few months after he read my script but I didn’t even try to convince him. At some point, when I realized I’ve worked as a cinematographer for nearly 25 years, I felt I could take time off to make my own film. That’s when I took the decision to direct “Yaan”, and gradually everything else fell in place.

I can’t imagine anyone else in the lead role besides Jiiva. He’s one of the most natural actors in Tamil cinema after Dhanush. Over the last few years, Jiiva has grown into a very good looking handsome hero. Most of these actors look awkward in their twenties and by the time they hit thirties, they look mature and smart like a man. They change physically and mentally as well. Their attitude changes and they become calmer. Look at Dhanush, who started as an awkward young boy, and today he’s a good looking national star. Jiiva falls in the same league of actors such as Dhanush. I know for a fact that he’ll definitely be recognized as a national star too soon. When I showed my film to Ranbir Kapoor, he told me that he couldn’t take his eyes off Jiiva.

As far as Thulasi, I was looking for someone who could fit in the character naturally. I wasn’t looking for a north Indian heroine because it’s not a song-and-dance kind of role. Thulasi’s role in “Yaan” is almost like the roles of Asin and Jyothika in “Ghajini” and “Kaakha Kaakha”, respectively. It’s a very powerful, level-headed and no-nonsense kind of role. She plays an army officer’s daughter. Having worked with actresses like Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Revathy, who are all daughters of army officers, I’ve realized they’re all easy to get along and know how to conduct themselves. They’re highly disciplined and their attitude is very positive. Thulasi is playing a character very close to the personality of these actresses.  I initially had plans to cast Trisha, but just when I had approached her for the role, she was already cast for ‘Endrendrum Punnagai’. I didn’t want to repeat her with Jiiva. Hence, we had to go with a newcomer. I had mentioned about this to Mani sir (Mani Ratnam), who asked me to cast Thulasi as he felt she’s very talented. I also checked with my ex boss Rajeev (cinematographer Rajeev Menon), and he also suggested that I work with her. That was a rare compliment for a newcomer coming from two geniuses like Mani sir and Rajeev. That’s how Thulasi was finally signed on for the project.

How was the overall experience of making ‘Yaan’? Talk about some of your challenges

There were many. When we started the film, Jiiva had a few setbacks. His films such as ‘Mugamoodi’, ‘David’ and ‘Neethaane En Ponvasantham’ didn’t do well. It’s difficult to find a producer for a project featuring an actor with back-to-back flops. We were lucky to find producer Elred Kumar, who believed in my script and gave us everything to complete the film. And finally when Jiiva gave a hit with ‘Endrendrum Punnagai’, everything went back to normal. I had to deal with a lot of negative opinions about casting Thulasi after the debacle of ‘Kadal’. Even Harris Jayraj said that she’s not good and that I shouldn’t have cast her. But after he saw the film, he called me and said that he can’t imagine if anyone else other than Thulasi could’ve been a better choice for the role. He said that this role is tailor-made for her and she’s performed so well. We received a very positive response about Thulasi’s performance from everybody who watched the film. She’s a natural performer and that’s why I never even bothered to correct her on sets. I would correct the performances of Jiiva, JP and Thambi Ramaiah because they would come to the sets from other films because I’ve been shooting over last two years. I have to ensure that they didn’t work in my film with the hangover of any other film they’re working on.  If we were shooting continuously they can easily follow but since they would come from the sets of other film, my job as a director was to guide them. I didn’t have that problem with Thulasi because she wasn’t doing any other film. She would come to the sets with her role, gets her lines right and perform with ease. Therefore, there was absolutely no need to correct her performance ever. At one point, she thought I was upset with her and therefore, was not talking to her. She even complained about it to her mother. When I spoke to Radha, I told her I would tell her if she makes a mistake. But Radha insisted that I give instant feedback. As a cameraman I never appreciated an actor’s performance and when I had to do it as a director, I found it odd. I wasn’t used to it. I realized it was my mistake but I slowly started talking to my actors even though I found it strange to hear my own voice.

Did you actually shoot the film for two years?

We didn’t shoot for two years but the total span of shooting lasted nearly that long. A lot of time was spent on getting permission to shoot in some places such as Morocco. We must have only shot for about 90 days. But I don’t think that’s an issue to be concerned about because it happens with most big-budget Tamil films such as ‘7 am Arivu”.

Now that you’ve completed directing a film, what do you enjoy the most – direction or cinematography?

I enjoy cinematography because you have very less responsibility. As a director, you’re responsible even if your hero doesn’t eat on time.

How has cinematography helped you in direction?  

I usually work with my assistant cinematographer but when he gets busy for a day or two, I would hire a cameraman to finish work. I realized I couldn’t communicate with him the way a director would’ve done it. This cameraman would look at me like I’m some messiah who is going to tell him the secret to the world’s most beautiful shot. But all I
wanted from him was a simple shot of a car coming to halt. He must have thought that I would’ve shot that scene with a chopper. That’s the kind of perception he had about me as a cinematographer. I realized that as a director I can’t live up to the expectations of everybody on sets. I wondered how directors over the years communicated with me and extracted what they exactly wanted from me. Most directors I have worked with have limited knowledge about cinematography, yet they could get the best out of me. I wonder how difficult that would’ve been for them when I go back to the director’s seat.

Tell us about the experience of shooting “Yaan” in Morocco?

The most amazing shooting experience I ever had in my life was in Morocco. It was also one of the most challenging shoots of my career in terms of the logistics. But we had a very supportive production crew who had worked with filmmakers like Ridley Scott. These people usually work on very high-budget films but they understood our need and worked with us. We had several meetings with them before we started shooting. Although we shot for only 13 days in Morocco, it’s the crucial portion of the film. One important lesson I learned as a director is that when you have a good team that understands the vision of the film, I think the battle is won in terms of shooting. When your team embraces the film as their own, everything else automatically falls in place.

As a cameraman, you’ve worked on commercial as well art-house films. What kind of films you personally prefer making as a director?

I prefer commercial films because I grew up watching MGR and Rajinikanth films. In Hindi, it’s been Amitabh Bachchan’s films. I never liked art cinema, but I watch only to learn the craft. I still watch films made by Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Satyajit Ray. But I like Ramesh Sippy’s ‘Sholay’ more than any other film. I also like Steven Spielberg’s films which I feel have commercial elements, technical finesse and artistic style of filmmaking as well. You don’t have to make Michael Bay’s type of commercial films to be successful. You can follow Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Shankar and even Murugadoss and make the kind of films they make to be successful.

Will you stop working as a cameraman since you’ve become a director now?

I would never do that. In fact, I will very soon start working on a film for Dharma Productions. We start shooting next month.

What’s on the cards next as a director?

I really can’t comment on it now. Most people in the industry are waiting for me to showcase my work as a director in ‘Yaan’. I think as a director, you have to start your career with a small film to get noticed and then work your way up. Look at K.V Anand, who started his directorial journey with a film featuring smaller stars, and went on to work with all the major stars. Even for Anurag Kashyap and Anurag Basu to work with Ranbir Kapoor, they had to work on smaller films to prove themselves. Very few lucky filmmakers like Farah Khan would get an opportunity to work with Shah Rukh Khan in their first film. I do plan to remake a French film (Point Blank) in Hindi, but work hasn’t started on it yet now. I want to get “Yaan” out of my mind to even start thinking about my next film. I’m sure it will take a while.

‘Yaan’ starring Jiiva and Thulasi Nair in lead roles is slated for released on October 2nd.