Being a woman film director in Kollywood makes me special: Aishwarya Dhanush

She may be the daughter of Superstar Rajinikanth and the wife of another superstar actor, Dhanush, but she’s worked hard to carve a niche for herself in the Tamil film industry. Aishwarya Dhanush is all set to release her second film, Vai Raja Vai. Aishwarya didn’t attend film school, but learnt the ropes of the industry by starting as an assistant director and then working her way up. Her first film was 3, starring Dhanush and Shruti Haasan. The romantic and psychological thriller opened to mixed reviews, but it spawned a global sensation with the song Kolaveri Di. On the eve of the release of Vai Raja Vai, she spoke about being Rajinikanth’s daughter and her professional journey so far. What did your dad (Rajinikanth) say when you told him you were getting into direction? He was quite surprised. No one at home – including myself – thought I’d be where I am today seven or eight years back. It’s only because of Dhanush that I’m here today. He gave me the confidence and gave me the push saying, “If you are interested, try it. And if it doesn’t work, it’s all right. But when you are sitting back at the age of 60, don’t regret it.” My dad was surprised, but he knew that Dhanush would be around, so he was comfortable with it. [caption id=“attachment_2190635” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Courtesy: ibn live[/caption] My dad liked the way I approached direction – I worked under director Selvaraghavan (Dhanush’s brother) and then came up on my own. I didn’t wake up one day and tell my dad produce a film or find a producer for me. My dad is very supportive of what we do. He always feels that he should just give advice and then the decision be entirely ours. Vai Raja Vai is very different from your directorial debut. Why did you choose this script? I didn’t choose the script and I didn’t want to consciously do a film different from 3. I just wanted to work on something that has not been touched upon too much in Tamil cinema. Archana Kalpathi (the producer’s daughter)and I were having a coffee when the concept [of Vai Raja Vai] came up and the thought was exciting. Her father approved the project and then I started working on the script and it fell in place. As a newbie director, did you find it difficult to work on this film? I think for any filmmaker, the most important film in his/her career is the second film. Your first film helps you create an impression and a benchmark (whether good or bad) and in your second film, you need to live up to and excel from what you’ve done. Vai Raja Vai has been a big learning curve for me. In my first film, I had Dhanush around – he’s a senior in the industry and much more experienced. It was a great support for me to have him around. But in this film, I was doing it on my own – as exciting as it was, it was a learning experience. Fortunately, the movie has travelled for two years, so there was nothing I couldn’t learn in this process. I have developed a lot of confidence since I handled this film on my own. Heading a team of people and listening to all their suggestions, assimilating it and then making decisions - it’s easier for me now. I can’t wait to show the film to the audience. You worked on this film without Dhanush by your side. Dhanush has seen some rushes. His inputs are always valuable. Dhanush is very surprised that I could it pull it off and he thinks I’ve pulled it off quite well. This movie is quite different from 3 and he didn’t expect something so commercial from me. (Smiles) You’re one of the few women directors in the Tamil film industry. How does it make you feel? Firstly, it makes me special because there are very few in the industry here. Today, Tamil cinema has evolved and grown so much that it doesn’t matter if it’s a male or female director anymore. If it’s a good script and people like it, the movie will do well. With all due respect to all women directors – I can only speak for myself – I think the reason why it’s difficult for women in this space is because we have to multi-task so much. It’s really difficult when you have be at home for your kids and be at edit or shoot at the same time. Only when you can work in your own time and space and comfort zone, it’s easy. In a very large way, some support (husband, family) is required for a woman to work in any field not just cinema. My kids (Linga and Yatra) have been really lovely; I must give it to them. Most women directors here typically don’t do mainstream commercial films. But you have. I think artists need to be open-minded. In Mumbai, an Aamir Khan will give dates to his wife and Shah Rukh Khan will give dates to Farah Khan. But it’ll take time in the Tamil film industry. To make a mainstream commercial flick, you need to have a big hero and the hero needs to be convinced that the woman can pull it off. I think it’ll take some time, but it’s getting there. If I can pull off this film, then I’ll take the credit, not give it to Gautham. (Laughs)