Samuthrakanni tells his story
National award-winning film-maker Samuthrakanni’s latest offering, is receiving acclaim from critics and fans alike. The actor-director spoke to Mala Lutchmanan
Mala (M): Vanakkam and welcome.
Samuthrakanni (S): Vanakkam and it is so lovely to reach out to my extended family in South Africa.
M: How did this journey into movies start?
S: It was not a planned move. There was something inside of me that propelled me in this direction. I came from a simple village.
While still very little, the first movie that I watched was Barathiraja’s Muthal Mariyaathai. Since then I felt like watching a movie a day.
I wanted to join the industry, but my parents objected.
There were many obstacles but I overcame those challenges and worked extremely hard to establish myself.
M: From Kaaka Muttai to Visaranai you have won many awards, including the National Award. You seem to have a special place in your heart for Visaranai?
S: Certainly. I worked continuously very hard for 44 days for that movie. And even today when I think of Visaranai it fills my heart with joy. I have to thank the public and the government of India for receiving the movie so well.
M: Your association with director K Balachander?
S: K Balanchander was my guru. I am what I am today because of him. I worked with him for 16 years, first as an assistant director. He was my mother, father, brother, friend and guru. I feel it was God’s gift to me to have had an association with him.
M: Is your latest movie, Appa, dedicated to K Balachander?
S: Yes, it is in memory of my “father”, K Balachander.
M: What would you say is the important message of Appa?
S: Appa is all about how we live our lives, what we are leaving behind for future generations, and it’s a serious introspective examination of our lives. The movie also looks at teenage suicide.
It shows the parent’s role in bringing up children and the parent’s responsibility in instilling self-confidence in their children. It is also the parent’s duty to assure their children that as parents they should be there for their children. This will fill the children with confidence, equipping them to face any challenge.
M: You seem to have a winning formula to reach out to the masses with your unique style of storytelling. What’s the secret of your success?
S: All praise to my guru director K Balachander: I just play out all that he had taught me.
M: Your movies always deal with relevant pertinent social issues.
S: I like working on this genre. There are many issues that need to be highlighted and I see the movies as an important platform to address these issues. I steer away from commercial movies.
M: When Dhanush invited you to star in his VIP, you immediately agreed, without even looking at the script, because you have a lot of regard for Dhanush. There are many other examples that show the importance you place on relationships.
S: Life is not about accumulating material wealth, but the wealth accumulated by having good friends is truly priceless.
This is very important to me. This is what my father taught me and I live by this adage.