Madhavan had super cool-yet-stubborn attitude, which made me cast him: Sudha Kongara
After helming Drohi six years ago, filmmaker Sudha Kongara’s next is Saala Khadoos/Irudhi Suttru, a script based on boxing, starring Madhavan, Ritika Singh and Mumtaz Sorcar in the lead roles. “Who says women can’t make commercially-successful movies? When a movie fails, it’s about the script and not the gender of the director. I love commercial cinema but also enjoy watching serious films,” says director Sudha. She justifies her statement by saying the industry has had women directors like Farah Khan churning out blockbusters in the north. “Weren’t Om Shanti Om and Happy New Year successful.
So what is Irudhi Suttru about? “The film is about female boxers. I know Madhavan for the past 13 years and ever since I saw Kannathil Muthamittal, I wanted to do a film with him. I felt this script would be appropriate because Maddy has never done such thing in his career before. I thought he’d be the best person to connect to the script on some level. He plays a boxing coach in this film and he has this super cool-yet-stubborn attitude, which made me cast him.”
Quiz her about why she didn’t cast a famous heroine in this film, and she says, “I did approach an established heroine in the south. But it didn’t work out due to some reasons. Besides, the character required a teenager, who was inclined towards boxing. I don’t think any established heroine here belongs to that age group and would come forward to do this sport-based movie.” Sudha believes that she’s a director first and a woman next. According to her, women directors have more perspectives to offer, interesting stories to tell, which is much required for Indian cinema.
“Filmmaking is hard work and more women are seen behind the camera now than ever,” she smiles. What’s next? “I am not really a planner when it comes to films. I go back to the notes I left behind for ideas, and that’s how I make my decisions. I would love to direct all the top heroes here. But if you insist on naming them, I’d say Rajinikanth and Dhanush,” she grins.
