Blockbuster Tamil filmmaker A. R. Murugadoss is all set to present his next big ambitious production venture, 16 August, 1947, scheduled to release in theatres worldwide on April 7. With full-scale promotions already underway for the period action drama directed by his former assistant NS Ponkumar and starring Gautham Karthik, Murugadoss sat down for a one-on-one conversation with National Award-winning film critic Baradwaj Rangan, the Editor-in-Chief of Galatta Plus, to discuss about the upcoming film set during the time of India's independence, while also explaining why a few of his films that include all the commercial elements didn't perform as he would have expected.
Upon being queried why some of the commercial films he's made did not work wonders at the box office and among the critics, A. R. Murugadoss explained, "Just like there's a reason for victory, there's also a reason for a failure. All films are in a way a first for a filmmaker. At least, that was the first time I worked on that story. It was a new experience." He added, "For example, if you take Spyder, I did a calculation to balance it in Tamil and Telugu. Back then, the concept of pan-Indian films wasn't as big as it is now. I had thought then to cast SJ Suryah (Tamil) and Mahesh Babu (Telugu). When that balance is struck, the Tamil people will watch for SJ Suryah, while the Telugu audience will go for Mahesh Babu. I can't show Mahesh Babu as a big commercial hero here (in Tamil) and I played it a little subtle. As a result, there was an assumption that a Tamil director underplayed (Mahesh Babu's role) on purpose since SJ Suryah is my friend and many eventually avoided the film."
Watch A. R. Murugadoss in conversation with Baradjwan Rangan below:
