With his second directorial venture Arjunan Saakshi successfully running in movie theatres across the state, Ranjith Sankar is a happy man. He believes that you will always find time for what you really want to do. “I love to write. Before coming into movies, I wrote scripts for television serials like ‘ Nizhalukal’ and ‘ American Dreams’ ,” he says. “Cinema, I realised, is a director’ s medium. We have to direct if we want films that we desire for.”
On ‘ Passenger’
Ranjith had the idea for his much-appreciated first movie ‘ Passenger’ as early as 2003. But it was realised only in 2009. However Ranjith is not disheartened. “There will always be difficulties. But you would not feel so bad about it when you are going after something you really love.” Some traits of the character done by Sreenivasan in Passenger was inspired by an acquaintance, says Ranjith. “I knew someone called Sudeendran, who hails from Irinjalakuda. He would come by train everyday and fall asleep when the train passes from Chalakudy to Aluva puzha. He used to be very excited about the festivals in his hometown.” Dileep’ s character in the movie is however an ideal one that ‘ we all hope to see more of’ , he concedes.
Ranjith never expected ‘ Passenger’ to receive the kind of recognition it did. “I am quite happy with the response. I think, more than anything else, it is team work that helped.”
On ‘ Arjunan Saakshi’
Arjunan Saakshi has no semblance with Passenger, except an underlying message that both movies convey - that one person could make a lot of difference. Says the director about his second venture: “I am very happy with Arjunan Saakshi. Personally I like it more, maybe because it is so recent and Passenger is a little distant now. Arjunan Saakshi was taken from a youth perspective. It is a commercial film that addresses social issues.” Ranjith says that many commented to him about the villains in the film not being strong enough. “Villains are also people like us. They have their comfort zones, their weak points. Similarly, Roy Mathew (lead role played by Prithvi Raj) is also another human being who just happens to be drawn into the story and gets involved in it.”
Ranjith Sankar On films, filmmaking
The director does not work with plans and schedules. He does not believe in switching to a new movie as soon as one is over. “We must have a desire to take a new film. At a given point of time, what I think is right becomes my film. There are two reasons why you should not just go on a filmmaking spree. One, a lot of people are going to see it. So it should have some positive message. Even if it does not push them forward, it should not
pull them behind. Second, there is a lot of finance involved. We should at least get back the amount spent on the movie.” The director agrees he is toying with a new story idea, but it is not time to reveal it yet, he says.
Among the actors he has worked with, Ranjith is in his comfort zone around Prithvi Raj. “We belong to the same age group and we share similar tastes in cinema.” Ann Augustine who plays the female lead role in Arjunan Saakshi has a lot of potential, Ranjith believes.
Taking new actors is based on the script of a film, Ranjith says. A new director on the other hand, should have an outlook in life. “There are only 10 or 15 original stories in this world. People have told it so many times over the years in different
ways. Everyone thinks differently. Technology only plays
second role. Your outlook is what matters. I tell new people who are interested to enter movies, to develop such scripts.” To Ranjith, his job means a lot too because it is what supports him in pursuing his love for cinema. “I do not work in cinema expecting money. It is my job that gives me that freedom.” Cinema, he believes is a sea and ‘ we are like waves who come and go’ . “No matter who comes and leaves, there will always be cinema,” speaks a true lover of celluloid.
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