Exclusive! Badri Venkatesh: Critics do influence film buffs, but not to the extent to which a movie is killed

Filmmaker Badri Venkatesh's Plan Panni Pannanum, which was wrapped up almost two years ago, had to postpone its theatrical release a few times due to unanticipated situations, which include the first lockdown and second wave of COVID-19. Billed as a comic caper, the film which stars Rio Raj and Ramya Nambeesan in lead roles, has hit the screens on December 30.   

In an exclusive chat with OTTplay, the filmmaker opens up about the decision to hold the movie for a long time without opting the OTT way, the various prospects of OTT boom, censorship in digital platforms, harsh reviews affecting the box performance of movies and more...

The project's release was postponed multiple times and now it has released in theatres. How difficult was it to cope up with the situation?

The movie was supposed to release earlier this year. We had announced a date in March, and then had to postpone to April because of a few reasons. Then the second wave hit us and we were back to square one. Though we had sold the digital rights to Disney+ Hotstar sometime ago, both our producers were keen on a theatrical release. It is a comedy and it was a meant for the audience to watch in movie halls. We felt an out-and-out fun movie will have takers in the current situation where people are stressed out due to several reasons. 

It's been a while since a full-fledged comedy has worked in Kollywood. What according to you is the USP of Plan Panni Pannanum?

It is a no-brainer which has been made with the sole intention of entertaining the viewers. You need to take off your thinking cap before watching the movie. As someone who teaches cinema and is still a student of cinema, I really believe that every product, when manufactured, has certain target audience. I'm a huge fan of the legendary screenwriter Crazy Mohan; his comedy has always inspired me. In a way, our movie is a tribute to him.  

Weren't there any pressure to sell the film for a direct-to-OTT release?

Not really. Like I said, the producers were hell-bent on a theatrical release. As a director, I might get another opportunity to make a film. But for the producers, they have spent a lot and were ready to wait for the project to release on the big screen. In fact, after a point, I insisted them to go the OTT way, but they were ready to wait. I don't think any filmmaker would do that, but since I am quite close to them, I came up with that suggestion. 

Don't you think the repeated postponement of a film would diminish the hype around it?

I'm aware of the fact that the multiple postponements of the film has led to a confusion among the movie-going audience. Many of them are not sure if the film has released or not. But I'm banking on the word-of-mouth publicity; you can't stop the success of a good film when people talk about it to each other. 

I'm only concerned about the critics who might use an unfair yardstick to analyze the movie. I'm talking about the so-called movie analysts who have mushroomed in the recent times. Their popularity has of late increased in such a way that they influence the regular moviegoers. I won't blame the audience, though. They will think twice before spending money for a movie, which is obvious.  

Do you think critics in Kollywood or India as a whole are too powerful enough to destroy a film?

If I say no, I would be lying. They do influence movie buffs, but not to the extent to which a movie is killed. Today, filmmakers have several hurdles to deal with and one among them is the so-called critics. Another challenge for us is the mobile phones which the audience will easily pick from their pockets or bags when they find a scene or a conversation on screen boring. 

The point is to make them glued to the screen till the end without getting distracted. Plan Panni Pannanum is a popcorn entertainer which doesn't deserve serious introspection from the so-called reviewers. My request to them is to be considerate while being ruthless. Over the years, I have felt that the trend of critics ruthless panning movies is rampant in Tamil and Hindi film industry. A good critic is as important as a good filmmaker in the society. Works like Sholay, a Cultural Reading and Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye are extraordinary examples of analyzing films.  

Is the new variant of corona bothering you with regard to the film's box office prospects?

It is really a concern. But a complete lockdown is not the way to deal with it. All of us have learnt to live with the virus in the recent times. Many of us have taken two doses of vaccines, and hence, all of us should be allowed to do our respective works. I was happy to see that the theatres strictly following the protocols. A complete shutdown will take us back to square one. 

How do you look at the increasing prospects created by the OTT platforms in the recent times?

It is tremendous, to say the least. A project meant for OTT release from day one and finally making it available to stream digitally is fine. But releasing on OTT avenues just because theatre release is denied because of some reason isn't viable. I'm currently in talks for a couple of OTT projects.