Director Ashwath Marimuthu Talks About the High Stakes of ‘Dragon’

Two days before the release of his second Tamil film Dragon, director Ashwath Marimuthu, who helmed the hit Oh My Kadavule (OMK) earlier, talks about the challenges of handling a budget that is 12 times more than that of his first film, the joys of working with a college junior, and why short films remain the best way to prove one’s mettle.

A still from 'Dragon'.A still from 'Dragon'.

Excerpts from a conversation:

What are the differences in the challenges you face once you move on to a second film after delivering a hit?

See, we’re all running the race. With the first film, you complete the race... you come first or second and that’s why the film becomes a hit. Then the second race begins. Now the market knows how well your first film has done and where you stand as a 'runner'. The expectations are set, and the responsibilities get bigger. But I think I work much better under pressure. If there was no pressure, I don't think I would get any work done.

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What is the nature of the pressure you’re experiencing now?

My next film with STR [Silambarasan TR] is already announced. All eyes are now on how well Dragon does for the goodwill to carry forward to that film. When you’re making the first film, this pressure is all about somehow making it in this business. It’s a desperation.

Apart from the success of OMK, did you also feel a sense of relief when it comes to accepting yourself as a filmmaker?

No no! I accepted myself as a director when I could go on stage of Nalaya Iyakunar at the age of 21, competed with others, made short films, got eliminated and then came back as a wildcard entry to reach the finals. If you do not believe you’re a director even before you make your first film, I don’t think you can make a good film.

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I’ve heard that in the movie business, people’s attitude towards you changes entirely after your first hit. Is there a truth to that?

I don't look at it like that. Imagine if I had made a movie with Pradeep Ranganathan after I had made Oh My Kadavule (OMK), but before he made Love Today. It might have been good for him, but it's not good for me.

In filmmaking, professionalism should be valued more than emotions. Pradeep built his market and then when he asked me to collaborate with him after Love Today, it was easier for me to pull off this film and make a movie for a guy who made a 100 crore film. It’s the same way with other people also. The change of behaviour is there with everyone and I too will have that same attitude.

If a stranger comes to me and asks me to make a movie with him, I needn’t agree. It was the same attitude towards me when I was trying to make my first film. But on the other hand, you also come across people like Vijay Sethupathi, who saw something in me when most people saw nothing. That’s why I call him the God in my life.

OMK happened in 2020 and then you made the Telugu remake two years later. But it has taken you five years to make your second Tamil film. What was the ideal situation for the second film?

I was not in an ideal situation by any means. After the release of my first film, when I was supposed to be celebrating, all the audience started panicking and went back into houses fearing COVID-19. They celebrated my movie and started watching it multiple times, but all from inside their homes. I hope that changes with Dragon.

Now your first film was made on a reasonably small budget. But Dragon has a budget that’s almost five times as much as OMK. Was it difficult to take that leap in terms of the responsibilities that come with such a big budget?

It’s not five times; it's more like 10 to 12 times bigger! The budget of my first film was ₹ 3 crores but Dragon is around ₹ 38 crores. But see, I’ve made short films for ₹ 5,000, and then I graduated to films that cost ₹ 20,000 to make. It’s just about making the film you want to make within the limitations of the opportunity you get. If you wait for the perfect budget, you might not ever make it. You might have to make compromises... but if the intention is right, your film will find its audience.

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But when you re-watch OMK today, are there things you would have done differently, perhaps if you’d got a bigger budget?

I think OMK is a very sincere film. Whatever mistakes I made in OMK has in a way led me to make Dragon. If I hadn’t made those mistakes, I don't think I could made Dragon, which I think is a better film.

I personally felt OMK was very successful in making a very rooted version out of Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life (1946).

It’s a Wonderful Life is an inspiration for me to make films about just how amazing one’s life can become. Even Dragon, in a sense, is eventually about how wonderful you can be and what defines success.

In all my films, from Oh My Kadavule to Dragon, to whatever films I make next, the idea for the final background score playing during the climax will be based on Toss The Feathers by The Corrs. The feeling that song gives you is the same feeling I want to achieve with the climax of all my films. That’s the song I give as a reference for the music director when they’re working on my film's climax. This is also the thought that came to me after watching It’s A Wonderful Life. I felt a happy tear rolling down my cheek after I watched it, and I wanted people to feel the same happiness after they watch my films.

A still from 'Dragon'.

From t​he video you uploaded during the launch of Dragon, it's clear that you and Pradeep are friends and that he was your junior in college. Did you see a spark in him back then?

Back in college, I was shooting my college video then and he was working as my assistant. I asked him to stand in on one of my frames during the shoot and I remember telling him that he looked perfect in that frame... like he belonged on-screen. He uploaded this video on his Instagram because it was important for him back then. We recreated that exact moment for our launch video!

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Finally, your generation of filmmakers including Pradeep Ranganathan, Karthik Subbaraj, Nalan Kumaraswamy and others, have all made it as feature filmmakers because of the credibility you were able to build with your short films. In 2025, though, is that still a viable route?

Any day, the route for making feature films is through making short films. It is the best way because people immediately trust in your ability after watching your shorts. Without short films, It’s like an actor saying he is an actor even if he doesn’t have a portfolio. Even after 30 years, this will be the best way to prove your mettle as a filmmaker.