Gautham Vasudev Menon discusses his first directorial venture in Malayalam cinema featuring Mega Star Mammootty. In this engaging interview, Gautham Menon shares insights about the film Dominic and the ladies Purse. Watch Our Exclusive Interview with Gautham Vasudev Menon for these and much more
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'വാരണം ആയിരത്തിന് ശേഷം ഞങ്ങൾ പിരിഞ്ഞതിന് കാരണം; എന്തിനിത് ചെയ്തെന്ന് സുഹൃത്തുക്കൾ വരെ ചോദിച്ചു' :: https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/tamil/gautham-menon-recalls-the-issue-he-had-with-harris-jayaraj-shares-the-reason-124801.html?ref=DMDesc
'ആരൊക്കെ അഭിനയിക്കുമെന്ന് മമ്മൂട്ടി സർ തീരുമാനിക്കും; മഞ്ജു വാര്യർക്കൊപ്പം സിനിമ ചെയ്യാനിരുന്നതാണ്' :: https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/features/gautham-menon-shares-how-dominic-and-the-ladies-purse-happened-mentions-manju-warrier-124761.html?ref=DMDesc
'മഹേഷ് ബാബുവിനോടും അല്ലു അർജുനോടും കഥ പറഞ്ഞപ്പോഴുള്ള പ്രതികരണം; ചിമ്പുവായിരുന്നില്ല മനസിൽ' :: https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/tamil/gautham-vasudev-menon-shares-allu-arjun-and-mahesh-babus-reaction-after-hearing-vtv-script-124483.html?ref=DMDesc
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'വാരണം ആയിരത്തിന് ശേഷം ഞങ്ങൾ പിരിഞ്ഞതിന് കാരണം; എന്തിനിത് ചെയ്തെന്ന് സുഹൃത്തുക്കൾ വരെ ചോദിച്ചു' :: https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/tamil/gautham-menon-recalls-the-issue-he-had-with-harris-jayaraj-shares-the-reason-124801.html?ref=DMDesc
'ആരൊക്കെ അഭിനയിക്കുമെന്ന് മമ്മൂട്ടി സർ തീരുമാനിക്കും; മഞ്ജു വാര്യർക്കൊപ്പം സിനിമ ചെയ്യാനിരുന്നതാണ്' :: https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/features/gautham-menon-shares-how-dominic-and-the-ladies-purse-happened-mentions-manju-warrier-124761.html?ref=DMDesc
'മഹേഷ് ബാബുവിനോടും അല്ലു അർജുനോടും കഥ പറഞ്ഞപ്പോഴുള്ള പ്രതികരണം; ചിമ്പുവായിരുന്നില്ല മനസിൽ' :: https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/tamil/gautham-vasudev-menon-shares-allu-arjun-and-mahesh-babus-reaction-after-hearing-vtv-script-124483.html?ref=DMDesc
~PR.16~CA.26~ED.21~HT.24~
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NewsTranscript
00:00The only difference was, we had the legendary Mammootty sir as the protagonist.
00:08I told him a story in 2005.
00:10When I went to tell him the story, he narrated to me what happened.
00:13I asked him why he didn't come.
00:14White linen shirt, no blue jeans, no this.
00:17I always had in mind that I shouldn't repeat this.
00:19I don't want our style, I'll come to your style.
00:22I'll do whatever you tell me to do.
00:24The first shot, we had a sober, grim looking character.
00:28He just slowly pitted up.
00:30This is what happened when you told Vijay about 6000 West Lanes.
00:33He said it was way ahead of its time.
00:35He had some doubts about how it would work out.
00:39I acted as Bazooka with him.
00:41I didn't talk about this or that I was directing with him.
00:45I wrote it as an inspiration for Sherlock Holmes movies.
00:48He said, if it's an investigation, I don't want it.
00:50He told me to shoot it in one stretch.
00:51That was a new thing for us.
00:53We needed a breathing space.
00:54But we didn't get that either.
00:55I didn't see it as pressure.
00:56Problem is expectations.
00:58I wanted to see this movie without those expectations.
01:06Hi JBM sir.
01:07Neeraj Suresh, welcome.
01:08This is Kerala's first ever January release.
01:11It's the first Malayalam film.
01:13What's the excitement and tension about it?
01:17I've never researched a first ever January release.
01:20I've tried a lot of January releases.
01:23Mostly, it's February shift.
01:24It doesn't get ready or something goes wrong.
01:27I'm very excited about January release, honestly.
01:30And I'm looking at it like my debut film.
01:32Whatever film I do, I work on it like a first film.
01:38We write it and prepare the shot division.
01:45It's not very insecure.
01:47But it's an organic way of shooting.
01:49We know everything.
01:50But I haven't done that yet.
01:52I try and discover the film.
01:55There was a story in this film.
01:58Then there was writing.
01:59And then I started to discover it.
02:01So I approached it like that.
02:03Like how I always work.
02:04The only difference was, we had the legendary Mammootty sir as the protagonist.
02:09And it was a beautiful experience working with him.
02:11For that, we need to say that we are ready.
02:16When we ask for a second take,
02:19when we ask what happened,
02:21we need to say it correctly.
02:22We need to have some shots in our mind.
02:24We need to create a visual imagery.
02:26We shouldn't waste time.
02:28Like they say, in these 50-40 days,
02:30we need to finish the shoot.
02:32I worked a lot on it.
02:34So I looked at it as my first film.
02:36And I'm very excited about this being my debut.
02:38In 2005, I told him a story.
02:40When we went to tell him the story,
02:42he said something to me.
02:44He narrated to me what happened.
02:46He asked me to come.
02:48And he narrated the idea also.
02:50I was very surprised
02:52that he remembered that.
02:54So I've been trying.
02:56But the Tamil commitments
02:58were a journey for him.
03:00I got an opportunity
03:02when Neeraj told me this story.
03:04We had spoken to a couple of actors
03:06and we were discussing.
03:08But somewhere from the time
03:10he narrated the story,
03:12I was thinking of Umukh.
03:14When I got an opportunity,
03:16I told him the story.
03:18So I'm very excited and nervous.
03:20It's a combination of that.
03:48What's the process behind it?
03:50I don't want to repeat it.
03:52It happens to me all the time.
03:54Sometimes, heroes
03:56and their friends
03:58will tell me to do it this way
04:00or that way.
04:02But I've never done that.
04:04It's a story in a different backdrop.
04:06I don't want to force it.
04:08But this character
04:10sticks in my mind.
04:12It's a character-based film.
04:14I really like Dominic.
04:16I had Dominic.
04:18When I narrated the story to Dr. Neeraj,
04:20Dominic stayed in my head
04:22more than the story.
04:24We had spoken about
04:26doing a Dominic series.
04:28I told him that his reaction
04:30was just a smile.
04:32I had a visual imagery of Dominic.
04:34From that time, Mammootty sir said yes.
04:36We discussed this look
04:38with the costume team
04:40and a look and feel
04:42was created.
04:44He just added to that.
04:50Neeraj asked me,
04:52how were you going to play Dominic?
04:54I said, I don't know.
04:56He said, I'll pick up on some line
04:58and I'll take that forward.
05:00That was a huge learning.
05:02He created a mood
05:04for the shot.
05:06He said, this is our clothes.
05:08He created a mood.
05:10He said, I'll pick up on that.
05:12The first shot was a grim look.
05:16He just slowly picked it up.
05:18He had a sense of humor
05:20and a body language.
05:22I didn't want to force any of my things on that.
05:24It was a new character for me also.
05:26We didn't do the general tropes.
05:28It's God that we pushed the envelope
05:30with certain moments.
05:32There's that instinct.
05:34We've touched on many such things.
05:36When we look at the actors
05:38in their careers,
05:40that kind of passion
05:42is not repeated.
05:44For example, if it's not the lead actors,
05:46it's Godevan, Neethanand,
05:48and Santhanam.
05:50It's a different Santhanam.
05:52Do you observe
05:54the personal observation
05:56of the actors?
05:58I do that.
06:00When they come here,
06:02they get ready for a different,
06:04real feel.
06:06When we're in an apartment complex,
06:08you can see this man
06:10living on the opposite side.
06:12You can see him walking out,
06:14walking in.
06:16You can see Nestin coming to join him.
06:18If you observe,
06:20you'll see a lot of people like that.
06:22If you get inside,
06:24you'll know what his house is like,
06:26what his mood is like,
06:28what he eats.
06:30We haven't done all that.
06:36It's a characterisation
06:38which I really liked.
06:40Sir said Dominic was the first
06:42one he liked.
06:44Where did you find Dominic
06:46from?
06:48We have
06:50Sherlock Holmes kind of characters.
06:52I like his adaptations and movies.
06:56I don't like him
06:58being an investigative police officer.
07:00When you say
07:02a detective,
07:04there's a bit of humour in it.
07:06The characterisation of
07:08Sherlock Holmes movies
07:10inspired me.
07:12There's a validation
07:14of the actors.
07:16If I'm reading it right,
07:18the first thing Simbu is going
07:20to narrate is an action movie.
07:22Simbu suggests
07:24we do a romantic kind of movie.
07:26That's how it entirely
07:28shifts.
07:30How does the validation
07:32of the actors
07:34change the whole process?
07:36Adolescence doesn't change drastically.
07:38Simbu was
07:40written for Mahesh Babu.
07:42Simbu and I
07:44had a discussion
07:46about how to meet him.
07:48When I told him this story,
07:50he really liked it.
07:52I thought Simbu was expecting
07:54a mass commercial film.
07:56That's what I told Mahesh Babu.
07:58Whether it's an action film
08:00or not,
08:02the audience's expectations
08:04would be different.
08:06It's a love story,
08:08there's no fight.
08:10Maybe he had his own
08:12thing about it.
08:14Simbu also thought
08:16I was shooting with a newcomer.
08:18My producers
08:20asked me to meet Simbu.
08:22I went to the meeting
08:24with Simbu.
08:26Simbu didn't like it.
08:28But Simbu liked it.
08:30He said he'd do it
08:32in his own style.
08:34I'm a very
08:36collaborative director.
08:38When you told Vijay
08:40about Paranamayaram,
08:42did he say
08:44you could add some elements?
08:46Paranamayaram was always
08:48with Surya.
08:50It was a coming-of-age story.
08:52I worked on the screenplay
08:54of my father's portion.
08:56I told Vijay about
08:58a subject called Yohan.
09:00It was an international
09:02English film style.
09:04He said it was way ahead of its time.
09:06All the characters were
09:08English-speaking.
09:10They were from foreign locations.
09:12The heroine was a foreigner.
09:14He had no doubt
09:16how it would work out.
09:22But I'm a very collaborative director.
09:24To answer your question,
09:26I like interaction.
09:28I'm not a director
09:30who doesn't listen to actors' suggestions.
09:32If something works better
09:34for the shot, for the scene,
09:36for the film, I'm ready to grab that.
09:38I like that interaction.
09:40What was the process
09:42when you collaborated
09:44with Jeevam sir?
09:46What was that journey?
09:48I think everything
09:50fell in place beautifully.
09:52We met through Manju.
09:56Dr. Neeraj came to Chennai
09:58and narrated a story for Manju to act.
10:00That story was nice.
10:02He narrated a couple of other stories.
10:04We kept in touch.
10:06I told Manju that I'm going to be in touch
10:08with Dr. Neeraj.
10:10He seemed to have a lot of nice ideas.
10:12Neeraj told a story.
10:14The story was full light in the film.
10:16I really liked it.
10:18Like I told you, I really liked the character.
10:20I'm not saying that the current trend
10:22is the reason for the sequels.
10:24But this character can go on.
10:28If the film does well
10:30and reaches the audience's hearts,
10:32we can take this character
10:34into many other stories also.
10:36That's not an idea, but I'm saying it.
10:38I like something like that.
10:40Dominic stayed with me forever.
10:42He stayed with me forever.
10:44It was a very good interaction.
10:46We collaborated a lot.
10:48We had a lot of discussions.
10:50We discussed two or three actors.
10:52He went and narrated to one actor.
10:54I also went and spoke to somebody else.
10:56When I told a producer in Hindi,
10:58they also liked it a lot.
11:00Then somewhere I kept thinking
11:02that Mammootty sir would be really good with this.
11:04I acted as Bazooka with him.
11:06You played Sing Sound.
11:08Yes.
11:10But I didn't talk about this
11:12or if I should direct with you.
11:16I didn't do any such disturbance.
11:22When it was almost ready,
11:28he said, if it's an investigation,
11:30we don't want it.
11:32If it's a police investigation.
11:34I said, no sir.
11:36You hear us out.
11:38If you don't like it, we'll give you something else.
11:40In half an hour, I could see
11:42sir was asking questions about the character,
11:44about the story.
11:46He was really involved with the narration.
11:48In 10 days, everything started.
11:50Then we discussed further
11:52and we took the film forward.
11:56When written and directed by Gautham Menon
11:58and when working with other writers,
12:00was there a give and take?
12:02For Minnalai, Vivek sir
12:04didn't need it.
12:06It wasn't for Vivek sir.
12:08It was for dialogues.
12:10I've always tried to bring a writer on board.
12:14For Minnalai, Kakakak, Rettaiyadu,
12:16all the films, I took the idea to a writer.
12:20Anurag Kashyap, Jaydeep Sahani,
12:22Balakumaran sir was a great Tamil writer.
12:26I've tried meeting writers.
12:28I said, I'll give you the script,
12:30and you can take it forward.
12:32But somewhere, I started writing it myself.
12:36Sometimes, the screenplay we intend
12:38will go completely...
12:40A writer's point of view is
12:42different from how you want to make the film.
12:46Anurag gave me the book, Derail.
12:48That was Pachai Kali Mudhucharam.
12:50When we tried to buy the rights,
12:52Hollywood had already started taking it.
12:54I just loosely based it
12:56on Pachai Kali Mudhucharam.
12:58I've always tried to interact with many writers.
13:00I'll never say no to a writer's meeting.
13:04When Manju called me and said,
13:06I'm coming with a writer, can you listen to the story?
13:08I readily agreed.
13:10Then we took the journey forward separately.
13:12I don't know how good a doctor he is.
13:14I'm sure he is.
13:16He's a very good writer.
13:20Have you seen ABC?
13:22I've seen it.
13:24I've seen that.
13:26The dialogues you wrote,
13:28the screenplay,
13:30do you have any points of discussion
13:32that you'd like to enhance?
13:34Are there any areas
13:36that you'd like to clarify?
13:38Do you have any sequences
13:40that you'd like to discuss?
13:42I think it's the climax portion.
13:44It was Govind sir's idea
13:46that it should be the climax.
13:50We just tried to polish it.
13:52It was okay for us.
13:54It was a good discussion.
13:56Nothing like bothering.
13:58Very good discussion always.
14:00Keeping us on our toes.
14:02If we need a dialogue,
14:04we'll call them.
14:06They'll say yes.
14:08Very healthy, very good collaboration.
14:12To understand the creative process
14:14in your directorial work,
14:16when you say,
14:18when you say,
14:20when you're surrounded
14:22by 150 problems,
14:24there's Dominic.
14:26As a director,
14:28you have to approach it creatively.
14:30If you shoot for 45 days,
14:32you have to give 100% to it.
14:34You have to ground it and process it.
14:36You have to have a stable mind
14:38in handling the problems.
14:40Plus, you have to be able
14:42to bring in creative input.
14:44That's the journey of the process.
14:46What are the words that
14:48influenced you the most?
14:52That's my scenario.
15:08I'll put it this way.
15:10They know there are problems.
15:12We are keen. We'll do this film.
15:14Sir's full support was there.
15:20The weight on my shoulder was taken off.
15:26These are all problems
15:28associated with the film.
15:30These are not personal problems.
15:3299% of our life is as a filmmaker.
15:34Everything else is 1%.
15:36It did affect me a lot.
15:38You have to try and rise and overcome.
15:40What I showed in Varanamayaram,
15:42it's not something I don't believe in.
15:44I do that in my life also.
15:46I train,
15:48I work out,
15:50I physically try and overcome.
15:52That actually takes away a lot from you.
15:54I have good people around me.
15:56Our support is very important.
15:58You need to be in the right circle,
16:00right space.
16:02Honestly, I'm saying
16:04that's why
16:06I took the initiative.
16:12I thought this would be
16:14a path for me to come out also.
16:16That's why I took it to Mamukka.
16:22I'll tell you the shooting style.
16:24I shot the film in 52 days.
16:26But spread over one year.
16:28I waited 77 days,
16:30spread over one year.
16:32The number of days will be correct,
16:34but it will be spread over a long time.
16:36It's very scheduled.
16:38But they told me
16:40to shoot in one stretch
16:42for 45-50 days.
16:44That was a new thing for us.
16:46I like to take off on Sundays
16:48just to breathe.
16:50Just to shoot,
16:52do an analysis,
16:54do work for the next week.
16:56You need a breathing space.
16:58I didn't get that, but I liked it.
17:00I didn't see it as pressure.
17:02It was compelling.
17:04I was looking forward to every day shoot.
17:06When a path like this is created,
17:08we have to find our own space.
17:12Within our own work,
17:14we have to find space.
17:16We can't just sit in a room and do nothing.
17:20January 23rd is a big day.
17:22When we look at social media,
17:24they want to see the Gautham Menon film.
17:28There's a kind of Gautham Menon
17:30that they want to see.
17:32For them,
17:34you have to be prepared
17:36for the next film.
17:50If they don't see this film
17:52after seeing the Gautham Menon film,
17:54they will really be with the film.
17:56They will forget the tropes
17:58of other films and see this film.
18:06Don't cross this line.
18:08The scenario should be handled a certain way.
18:12From the making,
18:14cinematography, music, actors,
18:16everything we've done a bit differently
18:18from earlier.
18:20Leave all your expectations
18:22and just come and watch a film you like.
18:24You said in the interview
18:26that Mammootty was the one
18:28who got the most suggestions.
18:30Is there a collaborative process
18:32from the writer's perspective
18:34and the director's perspective?
18:36There were a lot of discussions.
18:42Sir watches all the films.
18:44He knows who is here.
18:46He will take small videos and cast people.
18:48He said, no, we will do it together.
18:50For all the characters,
18:52we will sit together and suggest.
18:54Sometimes he will say yes,
18:56sometimes he will say no.
18:58He will have good reasons for why or why not.
19:00It was a great process.
19:04Usually, we bring in a casting director
19:06and then they will cast
19:08and screen test auditions will come in our hands.
19:10Then I will come in.
19:12This is not like that.
19:14It was spot on.
19:16Some of these people
19:18I didn't know initially.
19:20But sir picked these characters correctly.
19:22One or two good suggestions were there
19:24from Dr. Neeraj also.
19:26He had a good reasoning as to why
19:28a certain person shouldn't be there
19:30and somebody else should be there.
19:32For the heroine, we wanted to cast somebody new.
19:34He was very insistent on that.
19:36From the beginning,
19:38our first discussion was
19:40what is a heroine like?
19:42We have to cast somebody new.
19:44I told sir also that
19:46somebody new is always better.
19:48And sir had a few ideas.
19:50We had approached a few artists.
19:52But I think Dr. Neeraj kept
19:54telling sir and me
19:56that no, we should go with a new actor.
19:58Those are things that evolved.
20:00Then you realize,
20:02since the idea and the shell came from him,
20:04he had that vision.
20:06We took it from there.
20:08There is a Malayali collection.
20:10There is Trance, Alurag.
20:12The process in Malayalam is
20:14more simplified and grounded.
20:16I think there is a direct
20:18call for creativity.
20:20100%.
20:22Surely.
20:24Will that be helpful
20:26in Tamil films?
20:28No, I'm also on the
20:3020 years of work,
20:3220 films.
20:34You learn in the process.
20:36I'm in a stage
20:38where I don't want to do this.
20:40Whatever it is, I don't want this.
20:42I want to wait and do it properly.
20:44Or I want to do it this way.
20:46So I've learnt and this film is a huge learning for me.
20:48And I'm looking forward
20:50to doing more films here also.
20:52How was the Malayalam-Tamil
20:54conversation between you?
20:56The dialogues?
20:58Actually, when I met sir,
21:00I realized that we know Malayalam
21:02more than we expected.
21:04When we were telling this story,
21:06he had asked for the meaning
21:08of all the Malayalam words.
21:10That's all he asked.
21:14In the original story, there was Tamil.
21:16There were some Tamil lines
21:18in the film.
21:20So it was a nice process.
21:30Everyone is very excited, especially
21:32Mammootty sir's film.
21:34I remember Vadakkan Veerakadha was shot in Kolungode.
21:36My father's sister's house was there.
21:38They had gone to see the shooting.
21:40In Vattepalathum,
21:42in Varakeyam,
21:44they also went to see the shooting.
21:46And they were so keen
21:48to meet Mammootty sir also.
21:50I sent the script
21:52to Dr. Neeraj in Malayalam.
21:54I don't read Malayalam so easily.
21:56I take some time.
21:58It takes half a day to finish a sentence.
22:00So I asked him
22:02as Dr. Neeraj's voice.
22:04I had a one-week delay.
22:10I got the full script as a voice.
22:12Then I wrote it back in Tamil.
22:14Then it would go back.
22:16It was a process.
22:20It would take a week.
22:22He was also busy.
22:24He's a doctor.
22:26My father's sister,
22:28Geetha Meman,
22:30translated the whole thing for me.
22:32It's a script.
22:34I got the full script
22:36in her voice.
22:38Every day, she would read
22:40four or five scenes in her voice.
22:42The first reaction was from her.
22:44I could hear her laugh
22:46while reading the dialogues
22:48and Dominic's interaction.
22:50I understood that
22:52this was the first audience.
22:54I understood how the reaction would be.
22:58I thanked her in the film.
23:00I look forward to seeing this film.
23:02Were all three of you in the set?
23:06Suraj is always there.
23:08He's a very busy doctor.
23:10He can't let that go.
23:12We only had a country video
23:14with biriyani.
23:16That was shot on the final day.
23:22Mamookka acted in this film
23:24and it was shot on the final day.
23:26We had five or six days after that.
23:30It was a nice practice.
23:36Kamal sir was a fanboy
23:38when he did Vettaadu Ulladu.
23:40He's still a fanboy.
23:42He might have left that
23:44and moved on to action cut.
23:46He also directed
23:48CBI's Eric Kuruppu
23:50and Amaram.
23:52He's a long-time cherished dream.
23:54He left the fanboy moment
23:56and explored Dominic.
24:00We can't keep that.
24:04We have to keep it aside
24:06based on the story and the shot.
24:08But the excitement of working with him
24:10and the nervousness...
24:12There's a dialogue
24:14in my short division
24:16and I know the mood.
24:18But we can't write it
24:20based on his performance.
24:22Every dialogue, every moment
24:24he will add one edge to it.
24:26We don't add it on purpose.
24:28We can't write it.
24:30I was excited seeing every shot.
24:32After every shot, I would think,
24:34wow, in my head.
24:36We shouldn't say it was brilliant
24:38because I didn't want to think
24:40that we were being fake.
24:42Internally, I was very happy
24:44about every shot and it was
24:46different from how we had envisioned it.
24:48I can honestly tell you that.
24:50On January 23rd,
24:52Dominic and the Ladies first
24:54will be released in theatres.
24:56I hope the audience
24:58will love the film.
25:00Thank you for the timing.