PremiumVeera Dheera Sooran Part 2 director SU Arun Kumar interview: 'When working with big stars, we cannot make films like Chithha'
SU Arun Kumar gets into a conversation with OTTplay to talk about his upcoming film Veera Dheera Sooran Part 2, scheduled to release on March 27
Last Updated: 08.46 AM, Mar 27, 2025
For SU Arun Kumar, the writing process of his upcoming film Veera Dheera Sooran - Part 2 (VDS) was a little different from the usual norm. Starring Vikram in the lead role, the film is all set to hit the big screens on Thursday, before which the director joins for a conversation with OTTplay. It was the first 20 minutes of the film, Arun Kumar wrote without having any face, while the rest was written with Vikram coming onboard, the director says.
“I don’t keep someone in mind and write stories. I am not comfortable with that. I did write Sethupathi for Vijay Sethupathi. And with Chithha, Siddharth and I had decided to make a film together and then the scripting began. That gave me the practise to have a hero in mind and then write. With VDS, the only pressure I had was that the film should look bigger. You cannot make a film like Chithha with Vikram sir involved, and I am talking about the scale. It’s a lot of money involved. That being said, I made sure I don’t take the pressure and concentrate on the story instead. I designed the character for Kaali and not Vikram sir. But keeping the artiste in mind, helped me to craft the story on a certain scale.”
‘When we are working with big stars, we cannot make films like Chithha and Pannaiyarum Padminiyum’
Arun Kumar understands the working of an industry, as he says, “When we are working with big stars, then we cannot make films like Chithha and Pannaiyarum Padminiyum. It is impossible because when we have an opening with a star, eventually the film will grow bigger. It is a careful call you need to take if that growing bigger is a good or a bad decision for a film. Even if you take a film like Deivathirumagal, which may not be massy, it is bigger scale-wise. Say I am putting a Vikram sir into Chithha, the film will get bigger, but I need to know if it will be good or bad for the film and I do not have that much knowledge for now to make a decision.”
When being asked how he is threading the line to avoid falling into a vortex where directors are expected to keep mounting big films after working with stars, Arun Kumar says, “I also have a love story and female-centric drama thriller, which I will be working on. I don’t like to stick to one genre and would like to explore. I am very strong about the fact that I do not stick myself to a particular way of filmmaking. The salary you get doing a star film and a small film are not the same, and it is a decision the director has to take. What matters is how much we satisfy ourselves and gauge when to say no and when to take up.”
‘If casting is done the right way, about 80% of the work is done’
Arun Kumar strongly believes that if the casting for a film is done the right way, about 80% of the work is done. “To bring a wrong person, and then using make-up to make them look like a character is not something I believe in. If you need a 50-year-old, you search for that kind of person and do not make a 30-year-old do it with make-up. I think when you do the casting right, most of the work is done. SJ Suryah coming into a film is a commercial call, who can pull the audience into the theatre and share the market. But I also cannot bring someone who does not match at all to the film and forcefully fit into the film. Probably, a new face could have managed to pull of the character after a few scenes. But when I have SJ Suryah, from the first scene you will connect with him. That is what the stars bring to the table.” He also adds that just a simple frame on stars will make the film look grander.
The director, who strongly believes that staging is the backbone of cinema, tells us how the first teaser of VDS was his way to introduce the audience to the world of the film. “If writing is the start, staging is the backbone. Staging is not only about actors’ placement, but also what kind of lens and camera.” He takes a brilliant example of staging from Chithha that involves a top angle shot of a woman who lies in the same bed as her daughter and brother-in-law, but does not evoke an irk. “In the same scene, had the camera been from the window, then it could have taken a different side. But we went with a top angle, which was the first such shot in the film. I was clear that it was the only time I wanted my camera to rise above eye. It was shown to make sure there is a sibling bond between the brother-in-law and sister-in-law.” Arun says that he understood the importance of staging since Chithha, and became precise. “I learned to say no, and that is how you can make a film you really want."
Veera Dheera Sooran has a Baashha template
While the makers have clearly established that the upcoming film is the second part, whose knots will be untied in the prequel, Arun Kumar says, “Once I wrote the script, and since it begins with a conflict, there is a previous story. It is like meeting strangers during travel, and finally, we ask them what they do. You can partially say that it falls under the Baashha template, where we unravel the character’s present and then reveal the past. Every character goes back and forth, and has a past with each other.”
With actors like Dushara Vijayan, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Siddique and SJ Suryah playing important roles, Arun Kumar says it is challenging as a writer to pen the characters. “I have the responsibility to carry on the weight of all these actors. But at the same time, it also pushes me to write better character arcs as a responsibility. It is better for the film.”
Concluding this conversation, Arun Kumar wishes to do the love story he has been writing for a while. “Maybe after the release, refresh myself and work on that. Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 1 will not be my immediate next”