For these Kollywood veterans, theatre is the school

CHENNAI: Learning does not always take place in a classroom. For five veterans from Kollywood, the cinema theatre is their school. Directors S P Muthuraman, P R Somasundaram, A Jagannathan and M Jayakumar and editor R Vittal, always “hunt in a pack” — visiting film festivals across the country, drinking in everything about world cinema. They have been regulars at the Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF) ever since it was launched nine years ago. “The credit goes to actor Kamal Hassan. It is because of him that we started appreciating international cinema. He asked us not to be like a frog in the well, but learn what is happening in the foreign film industry as well,” said Muthuraman, who has directed over 75 movies, including the Rajini-starrer Pandian.From every film they watch, they take notes of on scenes, the subject and cinematography and try to teach it to film institute students. “Earlier, we would spend two days with students, telling them to treat the movie as a subject and learn from world movies,” said Muthuraman.Have they noticed any change at the Chennai festival over the past nine years? “The selection is good. But it would be better if movies liked by a cross-section of society are also screened. Some may like them for cinematography, some for the storyline and others for the treatment of the subject, the festival should cater to all their needs. Selectors should be from different walks of life and not just from the film industry,” says Jayakumar, who owns Arunachalam Studios in the city.Apart from the content, Arunachalam feels more youngsters are now attending the festival. “Earlier, only students from the film institute used to come. Now, as many colleges have started visual communication courses, those students are also coming in,” he says.Their exposure to world cinema has given then a keen eye for new trends in Tamil films. “We were frightened when only movies with huge budgets and flashy car chases were successes. But now things are changing, people want something they can relate to. Directors who can provide such content are also coming in. The best examples are movies like ‘Myna’ and ‘Kalavani’. Tamil cinema is undergoing a change” said Jayakumar.But why is it that masala movies that lack a subject are still being made? “No one wants to watch a family subject. Most of those who come to the theatres are in the 17-30 age group and they want to enjoy. Women and the elderly are happy watching TV,” says Muthuraman.