My films are documentations of Tamil culture and history

In this conversation with CE, director Pandiraaj talks about his upcoming film, Thalaivan Thalaivii, understanding his audience's needs, the urge to break out of stereotypes, and more

- AVINASH RAMACHANDRAN

IMAGINE being the first recipient of a newly constituted National Award category in your very first feature film. That was the honour bestowed on director Pandiraaj, who won the National Award for Best Dialogues for his film, Pasanga. One of the most celebrated debuts in Tamil cinema, Pasanga gave Pandiraaj a rather enviable place in the industry. Here was someone who knew how to make commercially successful films with rank newcomers. And over the years, Pandiraaj proved that he could register successes with star-driven films too. Of course, there has been a rare slip here and there, but this has been a successful balancing task that very few filmmakers have managed in Tamil cinema so far.

Pandiraaj is a brand unto himself, and with less than a week left for the release of his 11th directorial venture, Thalaivan Thalaivii, the filmmaker agrees that Tamil cinema is conducive for more such directors to thrive. "Honestly, you can't imagine Tamil cinema without its star vehicles. Be it Jailer, Vikram, or Amaran, these stories were told because of the star in the centre. But what is equally assuring is that those are not the only type of films that are bringing the audience to the theatres," says Pandiraaj, who expresses his admiration for films like Tourist Family, Lubber Pandhu, Kudumbasthan, Maaman, and 3 BHK for making films that respect the family audience.