Showing posts with label Vetrimaaran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vetrimaaran. Show all posts
It’s a bit scary to think that Vetrimaaran won’t be producing-Varsha Bharath
8:44 AM
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; September 29, 2025)
Bad Girl’s Hindi release has been a bittersweet moment for director Varsha Bharath. While the film — originally released in Tamil and then Hindi — marked her directorial debut, it also was the last production from Vetrimaaran. During a press meet in Chennai on September 1, the filmmaker announced that he was shutting his production house, Grass Root Film Company, blaming the pressure he faced owing to the controversies surrounding Bad Girl and Manushi, which has been awaiting release for long.
Talking to mid-day, Bharath, who assisted Vetrimaaran on several films before making her directorial debut, said the idea of not having him as a producer scares her as a new director.
Describing it as “heartbreaking”, she shared, “It’s a bit scary to think that he won’t be producing because Bad Girl would not have been made if not for an investor like him who pushed me and my craft. This voice wouldn’t have survived the pressures of patriarchy. Personally, it’s a huge loss. Also, he has spoiled me rotten as a producer. It will be tough for me to work with another producer.”
Watching one of Vetrimaaran’s interviews offered some relief to her. “He clarified that he didn’t want to invest as a producer, but he was still keen on setting up projects because cinema matters to him,” she said.
Currently, the Asuran (2019) director is mounting a project for another assistant director. Bharath revealed, “He will be involved in projects in other capacities.”
I wanted to make a film that women can watch with their mothers-Varsha Bharath
9:53 AM
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; September 22, 2025)
If films come with their own destiny, Bad Girl was always destined to reach the Tamil and Hindi-speaking audience. Varsha Bharath’s maiden directorial venture was released in Tamil on September 5. Now, the Hindi version of the movie, which sees Anjali Sivaraman as a teenage girl navigating lust and love in Chennai, is set to hit theatres on September 26.
Bharath remembers that right after scripting, many suggested she make the coming-of-age film in Hindi. “Many people asked me, ‘Why don’t you make this in Hindi? They have female leads who can mount a project without any hero.’ I was told this would make a great Hindi film. Also, the audience is much bigger for a Hindi movie. In Tamil cinema, you’re likely to have a big audience if you make something that is connected with the rural audience,” she explains.
But the director and writer were certain that she wanted to tell the story in a language and world she understood the best. “I didn’t know the world [of the Hindi audience] nearly enough. Authenticity is a big part of the movie. I didn’t feel confident about setting this anywhere but in Chennai. But I realised the story is universal as feelings are universal,” she says, before quipping, “Now I joke that I’m a pan-India filmmaker.”
With Bad Girl, Bharath also feels a sense of vindication. Earlier, on seeing the trailer, many had claimed that the movie promoted underage drinking and showed the Brahmin community in a negative light. That changed after the release.
“A conservative YouTuber wanted my film boycotted. After watching the film, he said that he was wrong and the movie is nothing like he had imagined. Everything that happened after the trailer came out, boiled down to nothing after the movie was released. I wanted to make a film that women can watch with their mothers because of late, there has been no film that I want to take my mother to.”
The director found two champions in producer Vetrimaaran and presenter Anurag Kashyap. “Vetrimaaran gave me a free rein. It’s only after I edited the film that he gave me feedback. So, I had the space to make mistakes and learn,” she says, before praising Kashyap.
“They’d nudge me in a certain direction instead of telling me exactly how they’d do it. The most exciting part was having two people who told me, ‘You’ve made a good film, now let us take care of the rest’.”
Manoj Bajpayee reveals what's stopping him from stepping into South Indian cinema
9:24 AM
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; September 17, 2025)
Even before Manoj Bajpayee’s Jugnuma opened to rave reviews, it found support from filmmakers across the country. While Anurag Kashyap and Guneet Monga Kapoor presented Raam Reddy’s directorial venture, several South filmmakers, including Vetrimaaran, Lijo Jose Pellissery, and Nag Ashwin, unveiled the film’s trailer on social media. When we caught up with Bajpayee before the movie’s release, he expressed gratitude for his peers’ support.
“All of them are friends. Whenever I’m in Chennai, I meet Vetri. I admire his films. There is also [Thiagarajan] Kumararaja from Chennai, and so many makers from Karnataka and Kerala. We connect because our choices are the same,” he said, giving a special shoutout to Kashyap for bringing the filmmakers together to rally behind Jugnuma.
In the last few years, the lines between Hindi and regional cinema have blurred with many Bollywood actors teaming up with South filmmakers. Can we expect a collaboration between Bajpayee and these filmmakers, considering the actor’s cinematic sensibilities match with them?
“Their only complaint is that I don’t know the language. Otherwise, we are all mutual admirers. In fact, I would love to associate myself with Vetri,” said the actor.
Censorship row: Barring few brave voices, deafening silence in industry
8:14 AM
Pritish Nandy, Vishal Bhardwaj and Sudhir Mishra
Vishal Bhardwaj and Sudhir Mishra have raised their voices against amendment to Cinematograph Act, but producers’ bodies yet to take a stand
Mohar Basu, Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; June 28, 2021)
It has been a week since the Union government sought public comments on the draft Cinematograph Amendment Bill 2021, which proposes to arm the Centre with the power to order recertification of a certified film if they receive complaints from viewers, thus putting movies under direct government censorship over and above the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC).
It could well be seen as another blow for the entertainment industry that is surely and steadily being weighed down by creative curbs — in April, the Ministry of Law and Justice abolished the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) overnight.
The Hindi film industry has remained largely silent on the latest development, barring a few brave voices. While Sudhir Mishra tweeted how the amendment will make “filmmaking impossible”, Vishal Bhardwaj urged the film fraternity to oppose the “unfair provision”.
When mid-day reached out to filmmaker Pritish Nandy, he said it is yet another effort to clamp down creative expression. “On top of censorship, if you were to impose review of censorship, you are unnecessarily creating impossible conditions for creative people. Soon, you will do that to books, music, theatre and everything. The assault on the creative arts is the sign of a government in desperation. The idea is to tame the creative arts because it has the power to change the world. They [the government] cannot kill the spirit of a creative person, but they can do it to a creative process that changes the way people think.” He noted that once the Centre deems a film unfit for viewing, makers will be compelled to move the Supreme Court, which will be an expensive process.
Down south, National Award-winning director Vetrimaaran has reportedly spoken to the Tamil Nadu Directors’ Association about making a move against the bill. The News Minute quoted him as saying, “[The bill] is their [the government’s] way of trying to control the narratives.” His sentiment was echoed by documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan who described the bill as “illegal and unconstitutional.”
mid-day reached out to Bollywood film associations to understand if they intend to open a dialogue with the government on the matter. The Producers’ Guild declined to comment on the story. One of the members from the Guild’s Council of Management, on condition of anonymity, said, “Right now, we have a survival issue. Daily-wagers, producers and actors have made negligible amount of money in the past year. When one’s survival is under question, fighting for creative expression is a battle of luxury.”
Another member assured that the issue will be discussed in the next Guild meeting. T P Aggarwal, president, Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association, said that the matter will be raised at a producers’ meeting today. Ashoke Pandit, president, Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association, added, “It’s too early to comment because we haven’t received anything in writing.”
For the uninitiated, earlier, under Section 6 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, the Centre was empowered to call for the record of proceedings in relation to certification of a film and pass any order. However, in 1991, the Karnataka High Court had stated that the union government could not exercise revisional powers on films already certified by the CBFC, a decision that was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2000.
More Changes
- The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2021 also proposes that content be subjected to age-based classification: U/A 7+, U/A 13+ and U/A 16+. So far, films are certified under three categories: unrestricted exhibition or U, parental guidance required for children under 12 or U/A, and adult films or A.
- The bill will also introduce Section 6AA, which prohibits unauthorised recording, thus curbing film piracy. Those penalised will face a jail term, ranging from three months to three years, and a fine not less than Rs 3 lakh.
Vetrimaaran thrilled that govt granting Rs 50 lakh-Rs 1 crore to promote Oscar entry Visaaranai
7:45 AM
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; November 4, 2016)
The quest to win an Oscar doesn’t come cheap. Realising that, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) recently announced a film promotion fund for India’s official entry to the Academy Awards and films selected for major international festivals. And makers of Tamil film, Visaaranai, which is India’s Oscar entry, couldn’t be more thrilled.
“This is absolutely great news,” gushes Vetrimaaran, the film’s director who is currently in the US. “We have often seen that films, which represent the country, have strong content, but fail to secure a nomination due to lack of funds for publicity in the West. This initiative by the government will benefit filmmakers to promote Indian cinema on a global platform and encourage them to make more films.”
Produced by Dhanush’s banner, the National Award-winning film is centered on four migrant workers, who suffer police brutality after being jailed on false charges. The film’s subject was loosely based on Coimbatore-based rickshaw driver M Chandrakumar’s memoir of sorts, Lock Up.
As announced, the government will take care of expenses for hiring a publicist, travel of director, maker and key talent to make appearance at the red carpet and press meets, accommodation, screenings, advertising and networking. The proposed fund value for films selected to represent India at the Oscars would be in the range of Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore. The decision for providing the assistance would be based on recommendations of a panel of experts constituted by the government. The announcement was made I& B Minister M Venkaiah Naidu at the press meet of the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
I am sure the entire cinema audience from India will root for Visaaranai-Dhanush
8:02 AM
The actor's Tamil production, Visaaranai, is India's official entry to the Oscars
Purba Dutt (BOMBAY TIMES; September 24, 2016)
He was heartbroken when his
earlier Tamil production, Kaaka Muttai did not make it as India's entry
to the Oscars last year. But that was then; with Visaaranai being chosen
for the Academy Awards this year, Dhanush is ecstatic. You must be feeling like a million bucks...
I got a call saying Viaaranai was being selected as India's official entry for the Oscars. All our patience has paid off.
Did you have a hunch when making this film that it would receive such widespread appreciation and acclaim?
To be very honest, not really. I just believed in Vetri, and I wanted to produce the film. It was a beautiful project. I knew the film would definitely work nationally, but Vetri Maaran (director) has crossed the borders! It's after 16 years that a Tamil film has been chosen for this honour. I am very happy for him and for my production house. It sure does feel nice.
With a couple of National Awards under its belt and recognition at the Venice International Film Festival, did you think that the Oscar selection would be a breeze?
Well, last year, I was very disappointed and heartbroken when Kaaka Muttai wasn't selected. We have a vision and we produce films based on that vision. I had this big, big feeling - or call it what you may - in my heart that Kaaka Muttai would not only be selected as India's official entry at the Oscars but that it would also win the Oscar.S o, this time I did not get my hopes too high. Everything happens when it has to, and everything falls in place at the right time. Visaaranai deserves to be there, and I am very happy it has happened.
What do you think are its chances at the Oscars?
I can't predict, but we are hoping and praying for the best. I am sure the entire cinema audience from India will root for Visaaranai.
What now?
I really don't know what it takes, and what to do. Vetri and I have met a few times and are discussing what is to be done next. We will need a lot of rescheduling our dates. I have no idea of the formalities; Vetri surely will know more about it. Very soon we will have a plan of action ready. We will do whatever it takes.
What do you think of the other films that were in contention?
I have watched Sairat, and Thithi. Both are great films, and many congratulations to the filmmakers for making these successful and critically acclaimed films. I am happy Visaaranai got chosen, but these two are beautiful films, too. And I am sure I'll see more such work coming from these filmmakers.
VETRI MAARAN (Director of Visaaranai)
“This was a very unexpected thing. And when I think this is the
beginning of a new journey, it's exciting, and spurs me on to get on
with the job at hand. Now, I am getting ready to
figure out what's the next step to take this film forward, and learning
the processes involved. We have to understand the voting system of the
Oscars, and how things work there. I have been told it is different from
our awards ceremonies. But we will research, understand and get on the
job immediately. I am thankful to everyone involved in this film, and
the audience for their appreciation. Visaaranai is a film that is very
relevant throughout the world. Wherever there is a polluted system, it's
definitely relevant, and that is what makes the film cutting edge. I
don't know what next or how or where my film journey is going to take me
from here. Right now, I've just got a load of responsibilities to live
up to. I am someone who does things for the moment, lives in the
present, without worrying about the future.“
Visaranai, the autorickshaw driver's story in Oscar race
8:11 AM
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 23, 2016)
Sixteen years after the Tamil version of Kamal Haasan's critically acclaimed but controversial bi-lingual, Hey Ram, was selected as India's official entry to the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language film, another Tamil film is now LA-bound, hoping to bring home the coveted but elusive Oscar.
After bagging three National Awards for Best Feature Film in Tamil, Best Supporting Actor for Samuthirakani and Best Editing for Kishore Te, Vetrimaaran's thriller, Visaranai, is India's official entry to the 89th Academy Awards. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and received a standing ovation.
"From the last two-three days speculations have been rife and my social media was crawling with memes. When I got the official confirmation and started informing family and friends no one was surprised," laughs four-time National Award-winning director Vetrimaaran, speaking to Mirror from Chennai.
Produced by Raanjhanaa and Shamitabh actor, Dhanush, the film is based on the novel, Lock Up, written by an autorickshaw driver M Chandrakumar aka Auto Chandra. It follows organised crime within the police force and throws light on brutality in the lock-up.
Dhanush took to social media to express his elation, stating that this is the ninth Tamil film chosen to bring the Oscar statuette to India.
Vetrimaaran admitted that both Dhanush and he were confident the film would make a whopping profit which it did. "We made the film on a budget of Rs 3-4 crore and all of Tamil Nadu watched the film. We released it with English and Hindi subtitles too and are now looking to re-release it, trying to work out a deal with our distributors," he informed.
In the past, Mehboob Khan's Mother India with Nargis in the title role in 1957 had lost the prized trophy to the Italian film, Nights of Cabaria, by a solitary vote in the third round. In 1988, Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay, was out-voted by the Danish film, Pelle the Conqueror, and in 2001, Aamir Khan's Lagaan was bowled out by the Bosnian tragic-comic war drama, No Man's Land. Last year, Chaitanya Tamhane's Marathi film, Court, failed to make it to the top five.
Vetrimaaran reasons that that Americans don't know much about Indian cinema and that is why our films are losing out.
"The reason our film got selected was because the jury understood and liked it despite it being in Tamil. I think we have a shot at making the grade. It's going to be a long learning process but we are going to promote the film aggressively over the next few months," he asserted.
--------------------------
Coimbatore rickshaw driver M Chandrakumar, whose book inspired Dhanush’s Visaranai, talks about India’s entry to the Academy Awards
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; September 23, 2016)
"It's a proud moment. I am really overwhelmed,” gushes M Chandrakumar. The Coimbatore-based auto rickshaw driver, fondly known as Auto Chandran, is over the moon with Dhanush’s production venture, Visaranai, based on his life, edging past 28 films to be chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars 2017. The film had earlier won three National Awards — Best Tamil Film, Best Supporting Actor (Samuthirakani), and Best Editing (T E Kishore), but Chandran hadn’t imagined that it could enter the Academy Awards race. “ I want to thank Dhanush and Vetrimaaran (director). Thanks to their efforts, my voice has been heard all over the globe,” he says.
The film’s subject was largely borrowed from the 53-year-old’s memoir of sorts, Lock Up (2006) — how he was arrested in 1983 and tortured by cops in Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh for a fortnight for a crime he hadn’t committed. “I was working as a waiter at a hotel in Andhra Pradesh, when two of my friends and I were arrested. For 13 days, our life was made hell. Cops would beat and starve us just because they wanted us to confess to an offence that we weren’t responsible for. Those bitter memories still haunt me,” he recounts.
The class X dropout had run away from home and after a brief stint in prison, started driving auto rickshaw for a living. He wrote books while waiting for passengers. “Not even in my wildest dreams, had I thought I would achieve so much after the film was made on my book,” he adds. Chandran travelled to the Venice film festival with the team of Visaranai last year. There, the film bagged the prestigious Cinema for Human Rights Award.
Does he wish to be part of the Oscar trip too? He says, “I don’t know if I am going, but I hope that I get a chance to travel to LA. It all depends on the team and how things work out.” When hitlist got in touch with director Vetrimaaran, he sounded ecstatic about the selection: “My phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the news broke. I am happy with all the international appreciation that the film has received. Even the audience loved the film.”
In a press statement, Dhanush thanked the cast and crew of the film. “It’s a joyous moment for all of us,” he said.
Priyadarshan to collaboate with Akshay Kumar on Visaranai remake?
11:45 AM
Director-actor may team up for a Hindi remake of National Award-winning director Vetrimaaran's film
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 10, 2016)
Tamil filmmaker Vetrimaaran, whose second feature film, Aadukalam, bagged six National Film Awards in 2011, including the titles of best direction and best screenplay, is in Mumbai tomorrow for a screening of his latest thriller, Visaranai. The film premiered in the Orizzonti (Horizons) section of the 72nd Venice Film Festival and won the Amnesty International Italia Award.
Now, Mirror has learnt that a Hindi remake with Akshay Kumar is in the works.
Priyadarshan, who last teamed up with the Khiladi for the 2010-comic
caper, Khatta Meetha, will be re-uniting with the actor for the remake.
Their Bhool Bhulaiyaa was a remake of the Malayalam hit Manichitrathazhu
too. "Late last year, Priyadarshan saw Visaranai and was blown away. Two days later he called me to say it was the best film he'd seen in a decade and bought the rights. He will direct and produce the Hindi film himself," asserts Vetrimaaran.
The original was an adaptation of Lock up, a novel by M Chandrakumar, a rickshaw driver from Coimbatore. It's about police brutality, corruption and loss of innocence in the face of injustice. "It's not just a story, Chandrakumar is the face of lakhs of innocents who have faced atrocities in police lockups," Vetrimaaran signs off.
Dhanush invests in Tamil children's film which bagged two National Awards this year
7:47 AM
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 21, 2015)
National Award winning Tamil filmmaker Vetrimaaran had found the
perfect script for a path-breaking children's film. But even after a
six-month search, he couldn't find an investor for Kaakka Muttai, or
Crow's Eggs. Dejected, he asked his writer-director, Manikandan to make a second draft of the screenplay in the hope that it would pull in a producer. "It turned out to be an even better story and gave me the confidence to pickup the phone and call up Dhanush, who asked me to mail him the script immediately" reminisces Vetrimaraan, who has co-produced the project as well.
The actor who was shooting in Delhi with Sonam Kapoor for Raanjhanaa at the time, scanned the script and 15 minutes later, called Vetrimaraan to tell him that even though he'd only read the first 10 pages, he will produce the film.
The film is about two carefree slum boys who are consumed by the desire to taste a pizza when a new outlet opens up in their neighbourhood. Realising that one pizza costs more than their family's monthly income, they begin to plan ways to earn some money, involving two more friends and inadvertently setting in motion an adventure that pulls in the entire city.
Why call it Crow's Eggs? "Slum children eat crow's eggs for nutrition yet nobody respects this common bird. It's the exotic birds which fascinate all. The film is basically a critique on our approach to globalisation," explains Vetrimaaran.
With Dhanush on board, director Manikandan decided to cast four slum kids as the leads. "For three months they lived in a hostel to get acclimatized to a new environment. They would play, talk and be themselves on the sets," says Vetrimaaran.
The film took two years to finish but Dhanush didn't lose his cool. And his patience paid off. The film bagged two National Awards this year, for Best Children's Film and for Best Child Actor, which was shared by the two leads of the film, siblings J Vignesh and J Ramesh. Now, it's gearing up for a pan-India release in June. And encouraged by this experience Dhanush wants to produce more films for kids, "This is just the beginning. I hope some good scripts come my way so that I can do something just as nice," he smiles.
Amitabh Bachchan to play voice to Dhanush in R Balki's next?
8:28 AM
Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 29, 2013)
After
wowing the audience and critics in his first Hindi film, Raanjhanaa,
Dhanush is ready for fresh challenges. In R Balki’s next, which launches
Kamal Haasan’s daughter Akshara opposite him, he will be playing a mute
man who wants to become an actor. And Amitabh Bachchan will be his
voice.Revealed a source close to the film’s production, “Dhanush can only emote so Mr Bachchan speaks for him and together they work towards realising their dream to make it big.” Dhanush will have to attend workshops, which will begin soon.
Despite repeated attempts, Balki and Dhanush couldn’t be reached for a comment.
AFTER BALKI, DHANUSH BACK WITH AANAND RAI
Aanand L Rai, who caught the eye with Tanu Weds Manu and followed it up with Raanjhanaa, will now be producing a film with which Tamil director Vetrimaaran will make his Bollywood debut.
Vetrimaaran’s Polladhavan (2007) and Aadukalam (2011) which bagged six National Awards, both starred Dhanush. Now the two are co-producing Kaaka Muttai which will open in 2014.
So, it is no surprise that Dhanush will also feature in Vetrimaran’s first Hindi film. The film will be made under Rai’s banner Colour Yellow Pictures. “Yes, after Balki sir’s film, our film will be Dhanush’s next,” confirms Rai, adding that while his love stories have a middle-class flavour and an easy flow, Vetrimaran makes a strong statement with his love stories. “So don’t expect another lovelorn Kundan.”
Rai admits he set up his production house to help like-minded contemporaries make the kind of films they want. “I know how difficult it was for me to convince corporate houses that Maddy (R Madhavan) would work as a leading man in a film that has the right script or that a film with Dhanush set in Banaras would find takers,” he reminisces.
So what can we expect from Director Rai next? “More romance before I change gears. Third time it’ll be a desi rom-com set in a certain period.” —Roshmila Bhattacharya
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