Gautham Menon: I hope to direct a Malayalam film next year

You somehow expect director-actor Gautham Vasudev Menon to have an aloof, almost Army-like demeanour, thanks to his films and acting stints, so his down-to-earth and forthcoming manner comes as a real surprise. And then, you realise that though he has worked with legends like Kamal Haasan, Venkatesh, and superstars Suriya and Vikram, his directorials, Kaakha Kaakha, Vaaranam Aayiram and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu, among others, also narrated gripping emotional stories about the protagonists, be they cops or Armymen.

While he mostly makes films in Tamil, recently he has been returning to the other half of his roots — his father is Malayali —for some acting stints. After a main role in Anuragam, he is now appearing in Mammootty-starrer Bazooka, directed by Deeno Dennis. “I had been turning down a lot of acting offers - because I want to get my next, Vikram movie Dhruva Natchathiram, to the theatres - and I said yes to this only because Mammootty sir is in the lead. It was purely an opportunity I created to spend time with and learn from him,” says Gautham, adding that the 10 days of shoot have been a ‘great experience’.

‘Learning from Mammootty sir’
We are shooting in sync sound, which is interesting and challenging. Mammootty sir was telling me how to handle live sound and how an actor should train this way. In some scenes, with the difficulty in dialogue, he told me how to do the lines, telling me to just say a couple of things in English, if that comes more naturally. He was very surprised when I did a long dialogue in Malayalam in one take.
I asked him if he gets bored with having faced the camera so many times, but he said, he becomes the character in each film, so it never gets boring. So that was also a learning for me.

I had watched Mammootty sir during the shoot of Vadakkan Veeragatha in Ottapalam. I was about 21 then, and to now work with him in a movie, is like coming full circle.

Dulquer is as intense as his father; the genes. He comes alive when the camera comes on. We had a good time work on Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal
Differences between Malayalam & Tamil
There is a lot more raw intensity in Malayalam films, in the settings and the way the actors perform. When it looks so realistic that the audience don’t notice the camera moving, you have won and Malayalam achieves that. In Tamil, a lot of films are written for the stars and woven in a way to boost their image. Malayalam is content-heavy and the big actors also play very everyday characters. Tamil is way ahead in innovative technique, but Malayalam doesn’t give a damn about that; here it is about how they capture the mood.

Upcoming projectsApart from a couple of acting stints, such as in Vijay’s Leo, I am not really taking any more. I am looking to direct my next project. I am also looking to see if I can direct a film next year in Malayalam; I am in discussion with a couple of actors. I really want to work with Mammootty sir and also with Fahadh Faasil.

Working in MalayalamIt is very surreal to be here. We have always lived in Chennai, but I have maintained my Kerala connect, because my grandmother lived in Ottapalam and I used to visit her and my aunts every year during the summer holidays. So, I learnt to speak the language. I also grew up watching a lot of Malayalam films. It is a beautiful thing to be a part of the industry.