Art Cannot Be Pessimistic

Director Ram speaks about his recent release Paranthu Po, why he chose to move away from his filmmaking style for the film, why he thinks Kattradhu Thamizh is an optimistic film, and more

- PRASHANTH VALLAVAN

With every film of his being a deep, socio-political, philosophical musing, what could have prompted director Ram to come up with a breezy slice-of-life adventure like Paranthu Po? The director takes a pause and, after a long reflective inhale, he says, "Well, JioHotstar wanted me to make a 'happy' film." But that doesn't mean he was going to make a surface-level crowd-pleaser based on a corporate prompt. "I asked myself what the word 'happy' meant for the world at large and for me as a person, at this juncture in my life. I asked myself a lot of questions about happiness and eventually arrived at the foundations of Paranthu Po. It didn't give me the story but the genre of this film," Ram elaborates on the thematic foundations of his recent release. He describes the film as his attempt to "fly away from my film language, my fixations, and my belief systems." Paranthu Po is undoubtedly a stark tonal departure from Ram's earlier works, but it is still a reflection on the ever-present tension between the modern societal structure and our relentless pursuit of happiness and struggle to savour our sense of wonder.

While non-conformist ideals are an unmissable part of Ram's films, he is careful to add a healthy dose of pragmatism as well. "Every bird that takes off must come down eventually because even the act of flying has its own rules, like how far and how long you can fly." This rationale seems to be the foundation of his quest to reinvent himself with