Speaking at the audio launch of the Tamil film Kanavu Variyam, veteran filmmaker P Bharathiraja was critical of young filmmakers who, according to him, draw inspiration from Hollywood. He praised newcomer and director Arun Chidambaram and said that unlike many of his contemporaries, Chidambaram’s film was made “for and in” Tamil soil and culture.
Kanavu Variyam is set in a village and deals with the issue of power cuts. The story revolves around a young villager (played by Arun Chidambaram) who tries to solve the frequent power cut situation in his village.
“From the trailer I could make out that the village scenes have been captured very well. It isn’t easy to make it look so authentic but with what he’s done, I am happy with that,” he said.
Delving into the subject of filmmakers today, Bharathiraja was critical of most directors today and their films. “The young filmmakers of today take a lot of inspiration from Hollywood and then you see them as big-budget films in Kollywood. These big mafia films, night robberies, all that. Arun, however, has managed to surpass that despite studying and living in the US. His film is made for and in Tamil soil, culture and many should learn the same,” he said.
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Bharathiraja, who was known as one of the few filmmakers to shoot his films outside his studios, spoke of how difficult it is for filmmakers today to depict villages. “The villages I shot in my two films – Kizhake Pogum Rail (1978) and Puthiya Vaarpughal (1979) – you can never see that any more, or villages like that. Arun, on the other hand, was never an assistant director to anyone and learnt all by watching films on his own,” he added.
Kanavu Variyam also features Arun Chidambaram in the lead. The film has music by Shyam Benjamin and won accolades last year (a Platinum Remi for Best Independent Theatrical Feature Film). It also has the backing of Warner Brothers Pictures’ for distribution.