We consider it our luck to get a rare interview from the legendary writer-director-actor R. Sundarajan who in his inimitable style laden with humor shares rare insights about Superstar Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan,  Mohan, Vijayakanth and much more.

About his entry in Tamil cinema...

Sundarajan is of the view that he and fellow Coimbatorian K. Bhagyaraj when they came to Kollywood brought with them their nativity and a horde of characters from their village who inspired them to make the movies that people can easily relate to.  His debut film ‘Payanangal Mudivathillai’ starring Mohan and Poornima was a record breaking blockbuster that had a run of 575 Days.

Difference between old and new directors

According to Sundarajan those days the directors were well equipped with real life experiences and stories which they translated on screen convincingly, but his criticism of modern directors is that most of them rely on Western or World cinema for inspiration.  Such movies are like feeding pizza or burger to people who are hungry for home grown food. 

Emphasis on Screenplay and casting...

The veteran director of Silver Jubilee films emphasizes that the screenplay is the backbone of any film and next is perfect casting.  He cites the example that Superstar Rajinikanth’s larger than life image is what worked in his film ‘Rajadhi Raja’.  The punch line that Rajini speaks to the villain’s henchmen was “The ten of you tried to beat me, but could not even touch me, but I will bash all of you single handed” worked on screen because of who spoke it  and it would have become a comedy if any other actor did the same.    Similarly, many heroes have tried silambattam on screen by only MGR did it with style.

Watch the video here for many more such vintage information from one of the most successful director’s ever in Tamil cinema.