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Filmmaker Keerthiswaran: 'Dude' Becomes a Hero's Journey Right From The Interval Scene
Debutant director Keerthiswaran unpacks the making of 'Dude,' why Pradeep Ranganthan was convinced to take on such an unconventional lead role, and what his next project is shaping out to be
Keerthiswaran is enjoying the limelight.
The Chennai-born youngster has struck gold with his debut directorial, the romantic-comedy Dude, which grossed over 100 crores and is continuing a run in some TN theatres since its Deepavali release. In a year where several big-budget ventures in Kollywood have underperformed, Dude (produced by Mythri Movie Makers) also marked a third consecutive success for lead actor Pradeep Ranganathan who anchored Keerthi’s vision to perfection. Coupled with composer Sai Abhyankkar's smash-hit score, the film which is now streaming on Netflix continues to evoke conversation and debate.
“As a first-time filmmaker, the important thing is to not overthink it, write the script with complete honesty and go pitch it to actors and producers, and see where it goes. That’s what I did, and Pradeep being a successful director himself was very adaptive. He is able to understand other people’s visions perfectly, and involves himself fully into the filming process without disrupting the flow,” explains Keerthi, on working with Ranganathan.
Also starring Mamitha Baiju, Sarathkumar and Hridhu Haroon, Dude starts off as a deceptively simple and straightforward romantic-comedy, but soon brings in commentary on issues such as inter-caste marriage and honour killings; it’s to Keerthi’s credit that his decision to not play it safe in his very first film paid off. “I wanted to use social commentary in different genres; that’s how such a topic was tackled in a rom-com like Dude. Though I don’t know if I will take on the theme of societal issues in every film of mine, there will definitely be a moral or ethical crisis intertwined in the script.”
Was it tough to convince Pradeep Ranganthan to accept the film, given that his characterisation has received both acclaim and criticism from different sections of the audience?
“In the scripting stage itself, I knew that the material had the potential to be sensitive. Some actors may not have accepted it, so the script had to be heroic for the lead character... but I don’t mean in a commercial, action-fuelled manner. In the interval scene when Agan (Pradeep’s character) announces that he doesn’t consider the sacrifice that he makes for Kural (Mamitha Baiju) to be vulgar in any capacity, it becomes a hero’s journey. Pradeep immediately understood this intent thanks to his fantastic script sense, so he didn’t need much convincing. I cannot peg the screenplay with just a theme, there is also a math to how the characters play themselves out within this medium and how the audience receives it. Agan is a very noble character in my book, and once I communicated that to Pradeep, there was no looking back,” answers Keerthi.
The filmmaker's confidence stems from his formative years growing up in Chennai, where there was a theatre right opposite Keerthi’s house which he frequented so often, that they eventually let him watch movies for free. “I’d just spend all my time there — apart from reading magazines, newspapers and immersing myself in pop culture — rewatching every new movie over and over again; that decade or so is what truly helped me become a filmmaker today. Eventually, I became an assistant director and worked for around seven years with Sudha Kongara on projects like Soorarai Pottru, Paava Kadhaigal and Putham Pudhu Kaalai, apart from various other script discussions.”
While the experience of working with Kongara did help him immensely, Keerthi doesn’t feel it’s a mandate today that aspirants need to assist another filmmaker before going out on their own, “The thing is, so many films come and go every year, but only a few work with the audience or earn critical acclaim. Youngsters have so much creative overload, but not everyone can go join a filmmaker to become an AD. It would be unfair to state that only those with prior filmmaking experience having assisted an experienced director have the capability to make their own film. Of course it has its advantages, but with the abundance of knowledge in today’s world, it is possible to self-learn and make a debut film.”
However, he does wish that the Tamil film industry had better structures in place for first-timers: “The industry is accessible to newcomers today, but I wish there was more clarity to how and where an aspiring filmmaker can go once they finish a story and are ready to pitch it. There could be more organisation, and a visible, transparent system to make things easier.”
His biggest learning from making his first film a success is to stick to one’s guns and not think about the money — or the audience — at all. “Of course there are films that aren’t successful, though the intention behind the making of every project is to make it work obviously. But filmmakers shouldn’t be overtly worried about the box-office glory and pack in multiple elements in a script, worrying about what the audience wants to watch. You have a story to tell — born out of a wish to convey something, the reason you love films, and why the world of fiction excites you — so just translate that to paper and don’t think about what the audience wants. Your story will find its way to them.”
Big things are anticipated from Keerthiswaran after Dude, but he is happy to deal with the expectations, “There is a bit of pressure on me now, but I take it as a compliment and will always make films I believe in. Currently, I’m in my office working on my next script; it’s one of the many stories I had started the process on when I was an AD. I’m taking all the things that worked in Dude, corrected all the mistakes that I made, and … am ready to make new mistakes now with the next! At this point, I’m not sure what language the film will be in, but it’s a story with emotions that will resonate with people across the world.”