The H Vinoth interview | 'I prefer working with people who see merit in wanting to tell a story that discusses issues'

The entire fandom of Ajith is working itself into a frenzy over Valimai, which releases on 2 February. Earlier, the film was meme gold, with everyone asking for an update. But, director H Vinoth, the brain behind the film, the man whose idea so impressed Ajith that he’s working on his third straight film with him, is a picture of calm. None of the excitement around him seems to ruffle him. But, this is a state Vinoth has learnt to be in. He agrees it is very easy to allow the pressure to get to him. “By nature, I’m prone to padapadappu [excitement], but having seen how people observe everything I say or do, and how they react to what I speak, I’ve learnt to calm myself. If I speak too much about a film, it will be used as troll material. If I don’t speak, that is also material. So, I prefer this calm,” he says during the course of a 40-minute interview. Despite having climbed the ladder of success at a rapid pace in the past five years, and having a body of work he can be proud about, Vinoth is brutally honest when he says that he did not enter cinema with the passion that others had. “I did not study cinema. And so, I tell myself I don’t have the right to proclaim that I’m here to make a certain kind of film or one that takes a certain stand. It is difficult to pretend to have a stand when you don’t,” he says. The director, who has made Sathuranga Vettai, Theeran Adhigaram Ondru and _Nerkonda Paarvai_, the remake of Pink, is also particular that the film goes on to make money for the person who backed it, and goes on to give some kind of satisfaction or tripti to the person who pays to watch it. The latter is an attitude he has been carrying forward since the time he worked as an electrician. “For a family to go out and watch a movie, a person spends close to Rs 1000 or Rs 1500. If that person is an auto driver, it is the earning of three days, if a construction worker, it is the amount he gets after two days of hard labour. I have to respect the fact that this money they give my film is the result of their uzhaippu [labour]. I get name and fame and money because they trust in what I am giving them,” says Vinoth. The director had once spoken about how much he loved reading short stories. But today’s Vinoth has changed. He says that he is drawn towards data, and what it tells. “There must be some education, some awareness,” he says. “I am particularly worried about fake news. Every other day, something or the other is announced as fake. What if someone misses reading that and believes something to be true? It impacts their life.” “I love data. I think it’s very important to get that right. The story is there to draw people in, but what is inside is the truth, the numbers. The story is the scaffolding for the data I want to share with people,” shares Vinoth. [caption id=“attachment_10402491” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] H Vinoth and Ajith during the filming of Nerkonda Paarvai[/caption] If Vinoth is stressed about a release, it is more because of these factors. “Every film is a risk you take. You don’t know if it will reach them in the intended way. And so, I do my job with consistency and try and be calm. It helps that even in life, I’m a very detached person. I protect myself from letting the popularity get to me,” says Vinoth. Ajith also helped in this process. When Vinoth told him that those who’ve seen the film have liked it, he told him that they should all learn the process of moving away from and not owning a film. “He said that once our work is over, it is up to the force above. And that if we allow this feeling to get into our head, we have to bear the weight of that burden. It made sense to me,” he says. “As such, I don’t believe that easily. So, I see things from a distance, I question, and that protects me.” Despite all this, when things get too heated, Vinoth seeks refuge in Nature. “I take short breaks. I go to temples, I go trekking, or head to the hills and mountains or take a food tour. That helps me recharge,” he says. Vinoth’s inspirations are drawn from real life and paradigm shifts in society. “We can’t rest on what we were taught while growing up. Today, success is considered to be everything. There’s no respect without success as mandated by society. And when this stress hits the roof, crime happens. Society respects money and power, and so people think they can do anything to get these. I want my films to speak about these things that we consider small mistakes but which end up becoming a big crime towards society.” Vinoth says that he is not someone who thinks visually or considers films as a channel for drama. “I know that many love drama and that a film with good drama will work, but I prefer working with people who see the merit in wanting to tell a story that discusses issues. Yes, there’s the pressure to succeed. It’s like trying a six out of an unexpected good ball or from the last ball. And every single person in the team faces this pressure,” he concedes. The pandemic and the lockdowns put the brakes on Valimai’s release many times. And even here, Vinoth speaks with empathy. “Many of us have managed for two-and-a-half years on one film’s salary. But, as a director I expect the same level of commitment. There will be issues, arguments. But, I can’t compromise as that will affect the film. Yes, I feel their pain as I have undergone it too. Unless you feel hunger, you won’t know what the working-class experience is like. You won’t know the pain of living on the platform, of not knowing where the next meal will come from. When the gratitude of the working class is violated, things get ugly,” Vinoth explains.

But, he believes there’s usually dawn. “Instead of keeping at the same thing, if you keep doing the smart thing and working in tune with the time, time will choose you and take you places. You have to be ready.”

Social media is full of speculation about what Valimai is about. “Sometimes, when I read some articles, even I get a little panicky wondering if they’ve figured the story. In fact, like I always say, you can go through the speculations and get an idea for a 100 films!” he laughs.

Vinoth is also deeply conscious of what it takes to work with a star. “In this film, Ajith is the main person. In our industry, projects are constructed that way too. It’s hero-led, and all the burden is on the star’s shoulders. He has to choose a good producer who will ensure release, a good director who will assure minimum guarantee. The hero won’t tell us why we have been chosen, but it is up to the director to understand that, and work to relieve at least some of that pressure. And Ajith has constantly inspired me. He was the reason I did Nerkonda Paarvai, a film I did not believe I could direct,” he says. Will this spate of star vehicles push to the background Vinoth the storyteller? “No, After two films, I am going back to non-star vehicles. I’ve narrated a story to Yogi Babu Sir and Vijay Sethupathi Sir. I might not get a budget in hundreds of crores, but I will get the opportunity to work on non-star stories,” he reveals. Vinoth can go back to that kind of filmmaking, because as a person he’s not allowed stardom to enter his life. “I am now in a position where I want to do work to respect myself. I’ve moved from the struggling period to this phase. I was happy then, I am happy now. I believe we are all equal citizens of the same world,” he signs off. Subha J Rao is a consultant writer and editor based out of Mangaluru, Karnataka. There, she keeps alive her love for cinema across languages. You can find her on Twitter @subhajrao.