Thudarum director Tharun Moorthy on sequel, comparisons with Mohanlal's Drishyam and film following Empuraan in theatres | Exclusive

Tharun Moorthy sought two years from his family to follow his cinematic passion. Just when he was ready with his first film Operation Java, Covid hit and the young filmmaker had to wait again. But Operation Java eventually released to positive reception. He followed it up with the poignant Saudi Vellakka, which even won a National Award. And it was this moving tale of an elderly woman that led to Tharun coming on board the Mohanlal-starrer Thudarum, the story of which was written way back in 2012-13. Still, Tharun Moorthy pulled off the mass movie with a rustic charm, that has most of the Kerala audience applauding the filmmaker.

But Tharun Moorthy swears that he doesn’t believe in class or mass movies. In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Tharun Moorthy opens up about the Thudarum sequel, his collaboration with the Lucifer star, the concerns over comparisons with Drishyam, the film following Empuraan in theatres and more…

You are winning much love from Lalettan fans who say that you have brought back the vintage Mohanlal with Thudarum. Your response?

Gratitude to all! It is a fraction of all their love for Mohanlal sir. Actually, it is the producer (Renjith) and the writer (KR Sunil) who deserve to be thanked. They carried this film in their hearts for so long and emotionally attached to the film, more than me. I was a technician who joined at the last minute. The script for this movie was written in 2012-13, and was narrated to Lal sir, and he liked it. But it got delayed as the right director did not come on board for this. Even after getting the dates of an actor like Mohanlal, they kept waiting as they wanted it to be executed properly. For that the audience have to be thankful to them. I also need to thank them.

It took more than 10 years for Thudarum to be completed. At what point did you become a part of this project?

Saudi Vellakka was released in December 2022, and after that (producer) Renjith ettan called me. I heard this story in January 2023. Even, I asked them ‘why me’. The technical quality in my films, the importance given to music and the manner in which emotions are handled are the reasons they told me.

Your last two films, Operation Java and Saudi Vellakka, are very rooted, realistic films. Thudarum falls mainly in the mass genre, where a common man takes on the oppressive force single-handedly. Does the genre have an impact on your filmmaking?

The film has two shades, very exciting mass moments and family moments. When a writer has already written a film with so much life, then my job is to scale up and to make it more suitable for a star of Lal sir’s stature. So my contribution was what and all could be added to make that the best cinematic experience. The biggest contradictory factor is that the family portions in the first half have the tone of what is seen in my movies. But those were by Sunil, and the mass, cinematic moments are more mine. What I did not apply in the first two films, I tried in this.

You penned and directed Operation Java and Saudi Vellakka, but Thudarum is based on KR Sunil’s story and you have co-written the screenplay. How was the experience of working on another person’s writing?

I was concerned how I would work on that. But I think that’s where the public should know the value of a writer such as Sunil. It was a very personal subject for him. He carried this story for 10-12 years. When I, a director who also writes his films, came on board, Sunil first told me not to look at what he has written before. After Sunil told me the story, we started writing (the screenplay) from the scratch. There were no writers’ conflicts as both of us knew each other’s plus and minuses, so with that awareness we worked. There was no argument or conflicts of any sorts.

Thudarum hardly had any major pre-release promotions, despite having a star cast of Mohanlal and Shobana. This is in stark contrast with Empuraan, which saw aggressive promotions at a national level. Was it a conscious decision to restrict the promotions?

It is wrong to say there were no or fewer promotions. It is just a notion that social media is the only form of promotion. As far as we are concerned, our target audience was those laymen, who are probably not even active online. We tried to reach out to people through newspaper advertisements, notices, flexes and other means to create double the impact than online promotions. Maybe in the last five years, Thudarum would be the one film to have the most number of flex boards. There were front-page advertisements in all major newspapers. Empuraan is a pan-Indian film and it demanded that kind of promotion. Our target audience was different, who mainly came to see Lal sir and Shobana madam. To reach those people, we spend more on offline promotions than online promotions. It has worked, is what the film’s success shows.

After the Empuraan trailer was released, you posted on social media that ‘into this battlefield, I’m coming with a splendor’. How did you tackle the pressure of following Prithviraj Sukumaran’s much-hyped thriller?

A gigantic, magnum opus movie was coming in the industry, and of course, when a film with the same actor comes right after that, I was also concerned about how the audience was going to accept that. So, we first had to create the feeling that these two films are vastly different, that was my responsibility as a filmmaker. Empuraan was this massy gangster role, while Thudarum has an ordinary person from a small town. When I said that humorously, it had some effect. Everyone was of the opinion that space was not suitable for marketing, but I used that space, that’s all.

Now that you have done a mass film with Mohanlal, would you want to do a more realistic film without the mass elements with the star?

I am not particular about the genre, only that the script has to excite me. Currently, I do not have any good scripts with me, suitable for Lal sir. I am asking in friends’ circles for such a script. There is no restriction that it has to be mass, thriller or realistic. If there are scripts that can challenge Lal sir, as an actor, as a star, I would be happy, and it should also excite me.

Prakash Varma made his acting debut with Thudarum, that too in a strong role opposite Mohanlal. How was the experience of directing him, especially since he is a celebrated ad filmmaker himself?

There was a freshness and I wanted to maintain that unpredictability till the last. One of the main reasons for that is Prakash ettan’s casting. It was a strong character at the scripting itself, and with Prakash ettan coming on board it became more beautiful.

This is also a Drishyam-like movie, as it starts with a family story, and the hero who takes on the police force single-handedly. Were you worried about comparisons?

We have tried maximum to avoid comparisons with Drishyam. A crime that happens in the family, and the subsequent investigation - these are the similarities between both the movies. But Drishyam is basically a mystery thriller but we have created it more as a family revenge drama. More than the revenge elements, it is about mystery, egos and conflicts. But we were particular with casting and even setting of the house, should not be like Drishyam in any way. That’s also one of the reasons as to why Shobana madam came on board. We were not particularly tense. But when such a movie is standing as an industry hit, viewers will naturally compare and we cannot find fault with them either.

The main reason why we did not consider Meena madam was because of the Drishyam connection. She is a good actress and audiences love to see their combination, but needlessly, it will lead to a comparison. So we did not consider or approach Meena madam for the role.

Thudarum ended with Mohanlal handcuffed, and his family waiting for him. You said there are no sequel plans. But that looks like the stage set for a sequel

Sunil, the writer, has not pitched any such idea to me. Even personally, I do not feel the need for a sequel. We are not really bothered about a second part. Now, we are just happy over making a good film. To do the second part is a huge responsibility. Not keen on a franchise type of films.

You have already announced your next film Torpedo, and that with a star cast of Fahadh Faasil, Naslen of Premalu fame and others. Could you tell us anything more about this project?

We plan to start by this year-end. Discussions are just happening, the initial draft has been written and reworks are happening. In this, Binu Pappu will be a writer, but not decided whether he would be acting too. The artists are also excited. It is an Ashiq Usman Productions. We are all looking forward to it. Excited!

After the stupendous success of Thudarum, do you feel the pressure of expectations, especially since the next one is huge in terms of star cast?

Each film has its own expectation. Torpedo is a completely new project. After Operation Java became a hit, I did Saudi Vellakka. At a time, I concentrate only on one project. It is not about whether it will be like Thudarum or turn out to be a hit. I try to do good movies. Success or failure is not in my hands. It is not possible to make a formula that the film will make this many crores. Even the shoot is yet to start. While doing Thudarum, there was this feeling that it will turn out to be a hit. If it happens for Torpedo also, I would be happy. The attempt is to achieve that.

Your father nudged you to take up screenwriting. But you joined Mohanlal on the dance floors for the Kondattam song. Have you considered acting? A lot of filmmakers like Basil Joseph are doing serious acting roles…

No (laughs)! Since I had a feeling that I am not good at acting, I turned to screenwriting and direction. I don’t think I have become better. In my movies, I don’t think I would use myself. I have got offers for small roles. But the happiness I get is more from directing films. I don’t have the confidence that I will be able to pull off acting.

Dream projects/cast?

I have no dream cast or project. I live in the present. I am not very futuristic. I want to make better films that are also entertaining to me - It is not about mass or class. To convey my vision through my films, that is all my effort.