With a string of successes, writing critically and commercially acclaimed series like , , and , Suman Kumar has finally forayed into direction with the recently released, , starring Keerthi Suresh in the lead. However, he doesn’t see this as a step up in his career, as he eloquently puts it, “Being a writer is way cooler and tougher than being a director.” He then elaborates, “Only when a writer writes, a director or an actor will have something to work on.
” According to Suman, his decision to take the director’s chair was an organic choice. “A film like requires the understanding of a specific tone of sarcasm, it had to be nuanced and I was not sure if it could be translated on screen. It is not a matter of talent.
I just thought I understood the sensibilities required for the story better.” Suman also reveals that he never thought of direction as a completely new endeavour. “I have been working with Raj and DK for a long time, so I had a pretty good grasp of what it means to direct.
On top of that, I am currently directing episodes in season 3,” he says. When asked why, after years of success with Hindi series, he chose to make his directorial debut in Tamil, Suman says, “Because I am a Tamilian. I always wanted my first directorial to be a Tamil film.
” This affinity for Tamil, both the language and culture, seems to be at the heart of Raghu Thatha as well. The film follows Kayalvizhi, a staunch anti-Hindi imposition activist. However, he says, “The film is not against Hindi.
It is against Hindi imposition and against any kind of ideological imposition. For example, there is an irony in fighting against Hindi imposition and then forcing women to conform to your idea of cultural norms. Why should women be the protectors of culture anyway?” The writer-director is also cautious of not calling himself a feminist.
“I am not trying to be ‘woke’ here. The reason I refrain from calling myself a feminist is that I will never know what it means to be a woman. I do not have the lived experience of a woman.
I don’t think I can fight for them but I will definitely support them in whatever way I can.” Suman Kumar further demonstrates his point by revealing how he doesn’t consider Raghu Thatha a women-centric film. He says, “I think it is unfair to even call this a women-centric film.
It is just a story that happens to have a woman protagonist. Will anybody ask (Quentin) Tarantino why he chose to make Kill Bill a women-centric film?” The filmmaker says how when Keerthi Suresh was revealed to headline his film, he was questioned who the hero was. “Even after I repeatedly told them Keerthi Suresh was playing the lead role in the film, they kept asking me who the lead was,” reveals the director.
Suman Kumar goes on to point out how he “never sat down to write a women-centric film. I just sat down to write a story.” Tracing the genesis of the idea, the filmmaker recounts how the premise of the story was born out of a casual conversation with a friend.
“One of my friends was talking about how his grandfather used to make fun of his anti-Hindi imposition activist son, while he was studying Hindi to pass a bank promotion exam. And I latched on to that idea.” He further reveals how in the first iteration of the story, Raghu Thatha revolved around a man.
“It was initially about a guy who is against Hindi imposition, who is then forced to learn Hindi after he realises that is the only way to marry the girl of his dreams.” Suman confesses that he dropped the idea after realising that except for the central conflict, it was “yet another story about how the guy gets the girl.” Suman Kumar is clear about how writing is the fundamental driving force behind every one of his creative endeavours.
However, he still claims to have crippling self-doubt about his writing. “I believe everything I write is not good enough; it is a little better now. But that is the nature of the game.
” On the topic of games, Suman says he would love to make a video game in the future. “I like shoot ‘em up games so I naturally love Call of Duty. I also like the Red Dead Redemption series and The Last of Us series.
I learn by playing video games. At the very least, I learn what the guns are called.” He also adds animation to the list of storytelling mediums he would love to explore.
“Video games, animation, Tamil films, Telugu films, Kannada films, I might do anything next,” He then playfully adds with a smile, “I don’t want to be satisfied ruining only certain art forms. I want to ruin a lot of art forms.”.
