I did something yesterday.
I made an important decision. It was a tough one. Cuz it involved losing someone who had put in a lot of effort into my film. But I was left with no option but to do it. Told my lead star not to do my film if he didn’t trust me enough to do my job as a director.
I do realise he has a decade’s experience in the Tamil film industry, respect the name he has created for himself and the effort he has put in my film. But what I could not deal with, was (and IS) interference.
I strongly believe that a movie is a director’s baby.
And it is that director who has to take the credit or the blame for a good movie or the bad movie he creates. So that people at least know whose baby it is. A movie becomes a bastard when too many people try to play director.
I have always said it is “our movie.” I still think it is “our movie” but there can only be one director.
I know I’m the “beginner director” and he’s the star.
But I refuse to believe that he’s “doing me a favour.”
So I told him not to do my film if he thinks he’s doing me a favour. And with him went half my crew (who he brought in) and the other lead actor. So that’s how it all ended. I lost my cinematographer, my music director, half the locations and food he had arranged for the shoot. I lost three days of what I shot.
The show, however, has just started.
I am going to re-start my film for the third time.
I auditioned people today, recast my actors and am all set to start shoot again.
Starting day after tomorrow!
Like I said in last post, nothing can stop this film from being made. No matter what, I will complete shoot for this movie before April 10. I gave my word to a lesser star in the film. And I will keep my word. The show … will go on!
MADRAS INK. 
Have you spoken to murugan yet…wanted to see if we need to pool in some of your incidental expenses…
keep at it, mate. your call was correct. the director rules. because he’s the one who holds the can.
man-o-man-o-man!!
You need to make a movie about “making a movie” next!
Heyyy…Right said “ME”…..I’m sure Sudhish’s gonna seriously think on the lines of making a movie on “Making a Movie”…..and i’m damn bloody confident that he’s gonna complete it even b4 TFLW….HEHEHAHAHOHO!!!!!..But well…Jokes apart…I’m sure he’s doing a greaaatttt job with TFLW…and is sure pouring his heart out into the making of the film….Lets all wish him loads of luck…Good luck with ur BABY Sudhish!!!!
That was a bloody brave call, Sudhish.
Man, wishin u all the best to complete the movie. Our Prayers are with ya.
All the best dude. Its heartening to see your determination. Keep up the same tempo. Thats what will carry you till the end 🙂
I don’t know if its a good decision or bad film wisw.But,ethically an absolute no-no. You are not a director who is paying anything andI would think peopelare doing you favours by being the movie. And I also i think thsi negates all your pervious posts about team spirit and all that BS, cause you are just another self- obssesed director, but u would fit into Kollywood just rite.
My spellings are just a reflection of my anger. Cause I thought u were a pretty cool guy
Low budget or no budget, this is your movie and you have a vision of how it must be created. If actors think they have the right to dictate how the movie must be created and it goes against your own vision, then you have to do what you did, irrespective of of the fact that they have 10 years experience and you’re a newbie. “Team Spirit” means that all people working on the project share a vision, not that you agree to their ideas blindly because they’re part of the ‘team’.
Hope your justifications were similar to mine.
Walk on.
thambi,
i’ve told you this already. but, its probably the best thing you’ve ever done on the TFLW.
now you know why i have to be anon! for the sake of decency! 🙂
but, i know u will be at it. good luck!
ur call was right…god luck
I absolutely used to detest your reviews and shockin articles on THE HINDU.. But for this-‘I refuse to believe that he’s doing me a favour’.. I ll put up with your columns all my life.. Besta luck dude
you did the right thing, sudhish. as director, it’s your film. it’s your call.
losing half your crew must’ve been pretty bad.there is no way i wud’ve made that decision but then i am not as resolute as you are.
you must’ve thought it through..so heres some more luck
hey suderman..
dunno if you have done this already… how about getting help from the students who are in viscomm,film insti…for one they wont ask for money…and two they have some knowledge about the field..and thirdly they wont be giving ya attitude(i hope) and i am pretty sure the film insti fellas are pretty good technically too(editing,camera)…so try that.
leaving ya with this…
“Someone once remarked upon the huge number of failures which Thomas Edison had racked up in his quest for a practical storage battery: fifty thousand failed experiments before finally achieving any results. “Results?” the inventor replied. “Why, I have gotten a lot of results. I know fifty thousand things that won’t work!”
all the best to you..once again..
Sangeetha
Suder,
From what i read about the way the ‘industry’ works, ipdi dhaan irukkum.
Don’t expect anything super good.
Mani Ratnam made his first movie in Kannada with Balu Mahendra as his Cameraman. I learnt that Anil Kapoor went telling the tinsel world that he is acting in a film in which Balu is the cinematographer.
No mention about the director coz mani was a newbie then.
Mani had even said that he considered quitting films due to so many reasons then and that it was Balu Mahendra who made him to hang on.
I can imagine how Mani would have smiled when the entire Bollywood went gaga about him 10 years later.
In the “industry”, nothing succeeds like success.Dont let others do your job.
Hang on buddy. You will make it.
hello…
came here through sandhya’s blog. she’s a great fan of yours and didn’t stop talking about you and shonali when i met after a long time! 🙂
goodluck with your movie!! really hope it ultimately turns out the way you want!
btw, a small doubt….there was this review of yuva in metro plus and i really liked the review because it gave a lot of justice to the film which people were unfortunately branding as (quite) bad…was it written by you?
well i thought this was your first movie.. Not your only movie! so why dont you put up with the powers to be.. make a movie liked by everyone..make some money.. and then go ahead and make the movie of your dreams.. also.. arn’t you making a movie to be loved by everyone?? if the better half of your crew does not like it.. may be something is really wrong.. and was it Abbas who left?? man.. if it was him.. you lost half your audience too!! anyway good luck.. but one thing is for sure.. what i hear of it.. you will never direct Kamal Hassan 🙂 heard he gets too involved..
-Patrick
that’s the spirit!!
dont let this setback stop you from making the best film ever made. 🙂
good luck.
hi sudhish, u r very good with ur words maybe u should stick to writing and think about direction a lil later. maybe once u have experience with working under some one who can actually give you a clear picture about what directing a film is all about. after reading that i understand that this is ur third attempt to restart the film. smart people dont repeat the same mistake again. looks like u r still not clear bout what you want and maybe this lead to the frustration that you must have vent out on some one who was a part of ur project from day one. if it is abbas u were talking about – heard he did another movie for you called ellipses. dont you think this is jus kind of convenience to justify ur act by making him look like the bad guy now for tflw. ur well wisher and friend.