Since his unusual debut with the rural sports film Vennila Kabbadi Kuzhu in 2009, Vishnu Vishal has always struggled to find his spot in filmdom — he flirted with routine commercial cinema but always went back to roles of substance (Jeeva, Neerparavai), where he played a character and did not stop with being the hero. And then he turned producer making films that brought in the moolah — Velainnu Vandhutha Vellaikaaran, Kathanayakan and Silukkuvarpatti Singam (2016-2018). But, you instinctively knew that while those films were important to keep the finances going and to bankroll sensible projects, Vishnu was not happy being a part of them. That was not his sensibility zone.
Psychological thriller Raatsasan in 2018 broke that mould, but nothing much came his way after that. Nine projects infamously got dropped. Around this time, Vishnu openly spoke about his battle with alcohol addiction and depression and how he’s finally learnt to manage his life better. Vishnu decided to cherry pick the ninth film that got dropped and produce it himself — that film was FIR, which released earlier in 2022, and showed that the audiences would, despite the pandemic, continue to back good films that were released in theatres. With FIR, Vishnu seemed to finally strike a balance between what he wanted to do and what would work. And now, with Gatta Kusthi co-starring Aishwarya Lekshmi, which opened to tremendous response last week, he’s established himself in the zone.
The film, about a young man raised by his misogynistic uncle and who believes that is the way to lead life, meets his match in a girl Keerthi who is everything he does not want in a girl. And then, director Chella Ayyavu sets each misogynistic trope after the other, and breaks them using the very person it is directed against. Helping us buy the narrative is the lovely Aishwarya, who owns a mass commercial film heroine role with great love. Vishnu is content and confident to let her take the lead, and play the perfect foil of a man too much in love with his ego.
The film was released in Telugu too as Matti Kusthi. “There, it’s doing decently in the cities, but average in B and C centres,” says Vishnu. In a casual conversation, Vishnu speaks about the new him, and his hopes for the future.
In Gatta Kusthi, which is a commercial film, you chose to begin the film with the heroine’s intro, which is the more punch-filled one. As an actor, what gives you the confidence to step back when the scene demands?
I wanted to do something different with this film. The film is about Keerthi’s character and what she goes through. I am the producer, yes, and could have always insisted I wanted a traditional opening shot, or reworked the film on the edit table, but what’s the point? The version you see now is the confidence all of us had in the script, the faith that we will all get our scenes. We set out to break a norm, and that is what my goal now is. I tried many things before deciding content plus commercial elements will mark the films I produce. That is going to be my strength. So, this film’s intro is well in keeping with that.
You speak of commercial films. You’ve backed some yourself, but the performer in you did not seem very happy?
I agree. I cannot do mindless films. I tried, I really did. They made money, and the only way I told myself that was okay was that they allowed me to bankroll the kind of films I wanted to do. Raatsasan showed me what my real strength is. It showed me what my long-term game should be. It taught me I had to strike a balance between content and creativity and commerce. Take Gatta Kusthi, we added some content to what was originally a pure commercial film. With FIR, it was about adding a bit of commercial elements to a content-rich subject. This has worked for me, twice. And so, when the director brought the film to me, I told him that let’s say something with this film. Let’s not just aim for a commercial hit. Let’s create something with recall value. It seems to have worked.
At a time when everyone was doubtful about audiences coming back to the theatres, you’ve stuck to it. What kept you going?
I think the shift as to what audiences want to watch on the big screen changed long before the pandemic. We had examples, but we did not connect the dots. These films made the creators and performers happy and ALSO made money. Pariyerum Perumal, Raatsasan, 96 are all some examples.
When COVID-19 happened, the audience got used to watching films from across the world at home. They grew, and would not settle for the same fare anymore. Luckily for me, I was already doing the kind of films that were now finding favour on OTT. I decided to not course correct and continue doing what I was, though everyone kept telling me to not to or to experiment with OTT. The result was FIR, which worked beautifully at the box office. It resulted in Version Two of Vishnu Vishal as an actor and producer. I continue to learn.
What’s different about Version Two?
This person knows to play to his strengths. Because I also produce, I’ve decided to have at least two releases a year, up from the one release every 18 months or so. I now mount movies on a workable scale and factor in promotion and publicity. I can decide what timings I want for the movie, and that matters. This has given me good growth, in a manner that makes me immensely happy.
While you factored in all this, did the very positive reception to Gatta Kusthi take you by surprise?
No, I knew it would do well, but what I am surprised by is the discussions that have followed after people have watched the film. The way it has reached people is lovely. We did not have any great lines saying how men should support women. There were just two scenes to explain why I was wrong in the film, but they were such quietly powerful scenes. That was important, because my character in the film is grey. If the lines had not landed well, I would have been the villain, but thanks to the writing, I came off as reasonably pleasant in some scenes and so my character was not very hated.
The people figured that the villain is the misogynistic thinking, not the person feeling that way. And, getting that message across was very challenging. They laughed for the situational humour. They cheered along for Keerthi’s mass scenes.
You take great care to choose a good story. You speak passionately about cinema. Do you harbour directorial dreams?
Everyone tells me I am good at judging. I think I am a good critic. I can tell you what works and what does not. I can see the negatives and throw them out. Ask me to choose from among four options and I’ll do good, but I cannot suggest a fifth or even come up with the original four. I can’t create something new. And so, I think I can’t become a director, but I know enough now to say, never say never.
You now have nine films in hand. How does that feel after all the rejection?
Feels very good, but it is also exhausting. I’m working with budgets I’ve not worked with before, and I am pushing myself. Because I’m the producer too, I have the added job of locking a good date. This means racing against time when a release window suddenly opens up — I did that for both FIR and Gatta Kusthi.
Does all this bog you down? You have spoken about your battle with depression. Are you coping better now?
I occasionally get bogged down, but now have the methods needed to pull myself up. I feel I need to prove myself to every single person who puts me in self-doubt. They made me believe I was only worth my dropped movies. They made me believe I was only meant to return advances. Fighting depression is a constant battle. I now surround myself with people who help me be the best version of myself. My son needs me. My wife Jwala Gutta needs me, she’s a sportsperson and knows exactly how to get me going. I am now speaking again to Rajni, my former wife and mother of my child. When you heal from inside, you become a better person, less bitter.
When you hear the audience clapping for your entry or reveal, you rise in joy. I have learnt to choose my battles. I have learnt to never let go of my inner core, no matter how much I grow.