Sriram Raghavan is an impeccably talented filmmaker; his impressive line of work is testimony to that fact. Back in 2004, he made his directorial debut with Ek Hasina Thi and today, he is known for helming movies like Badlapur, Andhadhun, and more. Earlier this year, he brought Katrina Kaif and South star Vijay Sethupathi together in his Tamil debut film Merry Christmas, which was released in multiple languages. In a recent interview, the director bared it all, spoke about his experience and movies, and spilled the beans about his upcoming film, Ikkis.
Sriram Raghavan says Agastya Nanda’s Ikkis is different from the movies he had been doing
Youngster Agastya Nanda, who made his acting debut with Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies, is all set to star in Sriram Raghavan’s war biopic Ikkis. While speaking to The Indian Express, the filmmaker shared about the film and said that he really connected with its story and liked it, too.
Sharing some details about it, he said that parts of the film are definitely very emotional. “It also has battle sequences, action in the typical sense of the word. Hopefully, we have tried and done it differently. It is a war film, and it is a drama. It was a break from the kind of movies I was doing, and I wanted that so that the next time I am doing a thriller, I feel fresh,” he divulged, adding that there is no baggage.
Sriram Raghavan talks about his expectations and learning from Merry Christmas
Raghavan started the year with the mystery thriller Merry Christmas, which opened to positive reviews from fans and critics alike. Even though the feature film ended up doing good business, the filmmaker thought that some people might find it a little slow.
Talking about Katrina and Vijay-led film, he opined, “Not that I would change the film, but I was aware that some people would definitely find it slow. There are various things; some people, for example, didn’t like the climax, but for me, the climax was what I loved the most. But now I can’t help it and be like, ‘Some people didn’t like it, so let me change it.’ Pleasing all is pleasing none.”
The director added, “You have to go ahead with what you like and hope that enough people like it too, which they have. At least since it has come on Netflix, more people have watched it.”
Talking about movie lovers watching content on OTT and being consumed by them despite having several distractions, he shared, “There they have the advantage of setting their own pace for the movie. I watched a great film with five breaks! The filmmaker didn’t intend that, but while watching, maybe there was a doorbell or something. Even if you take these breaks, mentally you are consumed with the film. It is easy to do that, but sometimes I am horrified to think that people can stop a film anytime, do something else, and then get back.”
The filmmaker, who is currently brainstorming on multiple subjects for his next project, says that in today’s day and age, it is tougher to get the desired footfalls, especially if someone is making a specific kind of film. However, there are some advantages, too. According to him, if the movie really works, people will spread the word and do the marketing for free.
