Director Shankar interview: On ‘Game Changer,’ Ram Charan’s explosive energy, and whether films can propagate a change

Most journalists patiently awaiting an interaction with filmmaker Shankar would have their minds set on how candidly or otherwise the filmmaker would address their questions. Has the failure of last year’s Indian 2 made him a more reluctant speaker? Surely the incessant trolling has gotten to him? Is he nervous about how the audiences would receive his Telugu debut, Game Changer, starring the now globally renowned RRR star Ram Charan?

Conversely, from the moment he steps into the forum, Shankar embodies an evident, stoic sense of optimism. His calm demeanour reasserts that perhaps he is bigger than the failure of one project.

Negative reviews have never affected him, he says. “We have to accept it. Everyone has the right to criticize and so we need to take negative reviews as challenges to overcome.” He says that he always sets his eyes on what needs to be done in the present, and when a film is over, on what needs to be done next.

How ‘Game Changer’ came to be

His Game Changer, set for release on Sankranti next week, initially began during the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown as an interim project that would allow him to spread his wings without burning a hole in the pockets. “Because there were uncertainties, and restrictions were imposed on film productions. I was already working on Indian 2 and 3, and the scripting for Velpari was in full swing. The two other stories I had needed big budgets; one was a VFX film that needed a fresh face as the hero, and the other was a spy thriller that demanded shooting in foreign locales. I wanted something different and the prospect of adapting someone else’s story excited me.” And that’s when writer-director Karthik Subbaraj brought the story of Game Changer, after which it went through a process to become more Shankar-ish. As the promos have teased, the film centres on a conflict between an IAS officer, played by Charan, and a politician, played by SJ Suryah. “There’s a backstory to who this officer is, and the shape that the story takes amidst this war is the most exciting part of the film.”

Before you can pose a question on the political theme of the film, Shankar dismisses the notion that all his films take an anti-corruption stand. “Just because these films deal with politics, people boil down the issues spoken about to just one word: corruption. But there are different facets to it; there are different kinds of governance, and in this film, we have tried to explore the powers and boundaries of an IAS officer,” he explains, while also clarifying that Charan’s character isn’t inspired by any real-life officers, like, say, TN Seshan. “As a story evolves, it might shape up to carry a few resemblances to real life, but we didn’t design the character based on a single person.”

Ram Charan and SJ Suryah in a still from ‘Game Changer’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

On making a straight Telugu film, Ram Charan’s explosive energy, and more

Making a straight Telugu film has been a longtime wish for Shankar, who is grateful for the love the Telugu audiences have shown to the dubbed versions of his films. The familiarity of his school of cinema in the Telugu-speaking states also meant that he needn’t crack a new film language to cater to their sensibilities. “I approached it the usual way I do all my films. But because it’s my first straight Telugu film, and since the story demanded it, I had to inculcate Telugu culture, lifestyle and traditions,” he says.

It’s old news that heroism and the ‘elevation’ of the male hero sell like hot cake in Telugu cinema, but Shankar needn’t do anything specific to elevate Ram Charan. “In all my films, the story’s structure would inherently elevate the heroism; the script had it and when a star like Ram Charan comes in, it falls into place.” Charan, he adds, possesses what he calls a ‘suppressed explosive energy’ within. “His performance reflects this; even when he subtly conveys something, you feel a power surging, ready to explode. He knows where to keep it low-key and how to unleash this energy when the scenes require it from him.”

Ram Charan in a still from ‘Game Changer’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

On grandeur, and why he pushes his own limits

There is a general notion among fans that Shankar has been prioritising grandeur over story. The filmmaker contends otherwise. “The story comes first. Mere grandeur is useless. The story and the scenes need to demand grandeur.” He uses the picturisation of the ‘Uppu Karuvaadu’ song from Mudhalvan as an example. “It was shot in a natural location near Theni, Tamil Nadu, not some film studio set or a foreign location. We spent a lot on other songs in the film” — like erecting a path walled by clay pots in ‘Azhagana Ratchasiye’, shooting the graphics-heavy ‘Mudhalvane’ in Delhi, or incorporating the five natural elements in ‘Kurukku Siruthavaley’ — “but when it comes to ‘Uppu Karuvaadu,’ the situation on paper seemed simpler: a Chief Minister, to avoid attracting crowds, disguises himself to spend some time with this girlfriend in that beautiful hamlet. It had to be simple and organic; so we just went for a corn field, Crossandra bushes, a yellow shirt for him, and a paavada-dhavani for her.”

Over the years, Shankar has spearheaded the use of modern technology in Indian cinema, constantly experimenting with state-of-the-art advancements, efforts that sometimes may not have received their due appreciation. Shankar says he never regretted pushing himself to do more. “With every film, the audiences start expecting more and I will have to push myself to meet those expectations. We should keep pondering over the concepts and stories that can match all those elevated expectations. This is a bar that keeps rising.”

Kiara Advani and Ram Charan in a still from ‘Game Changer’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Of course, what goes behind these tech-heavy films might go right over the head of a lay audience member. “We can use promotions as an opportunity to apprise audiences of all that has gone into the making,” a fine line crossing which might hype up the film unnecessarily, he adds.

Releasing behind-the-scenes footage of films is another strategy Shankar uses it to inform and prepare his audiences. “Usually, the cameraman assigned for this would shoot only songs and fight sequences, or scenes featuring the stars. Sometimes they get impatient when it’s just a bunch of technicians sitting and talking. I asked them to follow the making, right from the discussion stage, and take shots, say, of what a technician and a visual effects supervisor are discussing.” But only a few minutes of those making-of videos can be put together and released on platforms, notes Shankar, adding that a film on filmmaking wouldn’t accurately capture the emotion that goes into the process. “That’s why I wanted it to be a book. That’s why I asked Lakshmi Saravanakumar to travel throughout a film, to see how we invest our emotions, apart from money and hard work. I wanted his book to capture all the downfalls we undergo and how we overcome them, but unfortunately, that book hasn’t released yet.”

On whether films can propagate a change

Right from his debut film, 1993’s Gentleman, Shankar has channelled all that he witnessed in his early days into films, making politically-charged social commentary his chosen school of cinema. He thus naturally comes across as an artist who believes that cinema can change people and that it is his duty to pass on the right message. “Back when I started learning filmmaking, I understood that a film needs to bring entertainment and a purpose to a meeting point, and that’s what I have been attempting to do.”

He recounts a few instances that have reinforced this standpoint. “After Anniyan, many texted me that they felt scared to defy traffic rules. In Indian 2, for instance, the idea was to say that change begins at home. There’s a saying in Tamil: “Thirudanaai paarthu thirundhaavittaal, thiruttai ozhikka mudiyadhu.” (Unless the thief reforms himself, theft cannot be eradicated). Thieves don’t seem to be reforming, but they all have families. I thought maybe if they thought about their families, it might lead to reformation. Recently, in Chennai, an auto driver stole 10 sovereigns of gold from an elderly couple, only to be thrashed by his son, taken to the police station, and made to return the jewellery to the victims. When people say that such incidents are the effect of Indian 2, I feel happy.” Even if these account for a small percentage in the grand scheme of things, he adds, it serves the film’s purpose. “I look at these as seeds of change and I feel glad.”

What’s coming up next?

After Game Changer, Shankar is set to restart shooting for Kamal Haasan’s Indian 3. But you sense a surge of energy when he speaks about what lies beyond: his dream project, Velpari, an adaptation of Tamil author Su Venkatesan’s popular historical novel, ‘Veera Yuga Nayagan Velpari.’ “I want to take my time to explore all the unexplored sides of myself with this project. The script work is done and it will be a three-part film. It is a mammoth project that will require a big budget.”

Game Changer releases in theatres on January 10