If Kaaviya Thalaivan Was A Love Story, It Would've Been A Hit: Vasanthabalan

What if Vasanthabalan's Kaaviya Thalaivan (now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar) were to be remade today but just as an out-and-out love story between Tamil theatre veterans KB Sundarambal and SG Kittappa? "I would've probably been a millionaire if I had done this," the director tells us with a laugh. The Tamil film, which was released almost a decade back, follows the lives of two stage actors (Siddharth and Prithviraj) and the inherent competitiveness between them. While the film went on to find its own audience over the years, it was a box-office failure upon release. The director tells us that his initial intention was to make the film as a full-blown love story between two stage actors.

"I read about KB Sundarambal and SG Kittappa and I was obsessed with their artform and their love story. But at the time, I had just finished Angadi Theru, which was a love story set in a garment store backdrop. So I didn't want to tell another love story and repeat myself." He instead chose to focus on the ego clash between two different kinds of actors.

Acting can either be very realistic or dramatic. The director feels most celebrated actors fall largely under these two categories, which attract their own fandom and appreciation. "In Tamil cinema we have had MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and PU Chinnappa, Sivaji Ganesan and MGR, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, and Vijay and Ajith. So, I wanted to explore this dynamic."

But in hindsight, a romance would've been perfect, considering AR Rahman was the music composer, he says. "If I would've treated the film as a love story back then, it would've been a super-duper hit. Because you just need to tell AR Rahman sir that you needed love songs. He would just compose songs that are overcome with this emotion. I would've become a millionaire back then. I wouldn't have suffered for the next 7 years. Nowadays, everyone is repeating other films, but I was hesitant to repeat my own film. Maybe this was my punishment for that decision," says Vasanthabalan.

The director, who has often explored tragedy and pain in his films, wants to try his hand at a happy film someday. "I think there is a lot of pain inside me. My friends and family want me to stop with all the tragedy and pain. They want me to make a happy film. I am going to try and do this."