Writers and directors drive movies: Ranjith

Though it's been widely believed that Mollywood has just been opened to fresh ideas, it can hardly be argued that writer-director Ranjith's movies have always stood out for its unconventional and unique plots.
In his career span of about 25 years, the 47-year-old filmmaker has been pivotal in contributing some of Mollywood's finest and creative movies including Devasuram, Thirakkatha, Kerala Cafe, and Pranchiyettan and the Saint.
His latest movie Indian Rupee, which hits the theatres on October 6, promises to continue his haul of making films with strong social messages, which most of the modern movies now fall short of.
"Indian Rupee is a satirical dig on today's youth who attempt to make quick money without sweating it out," says Ranjith, who has also scripted the movie.
The film revolves around the character JP played by Prithviraj, who becomes a real-estate agent as a shortcut to be rich and afford comforts, which have now become a necessity to Malayalis, explains the filmmaker."Most often the paths chosen by the youth these days to make money are wrong and the film depicts this social reality through a simple and sarcastic way," says Ranjith.
Indian Rupee also has veteran-actor Thilakan, Rima Kallingal and Tini Tom playing prominent characters and boasts a strong list of guest appearances by Asif Ali, Fahad Fazil and Revathy.
Adding an extra dimension of creative control to his films, this ace filmmaker has scripted all of his 12 directorial ventures, except Kaiyoppu.
Ranjith, who has written several blockbusters including Narasimham and Aaram Thampuran before directing his first film Ravanaprabhu, says, "A writer always faces difficulty in convincing the director. The director may not accept the idea and you end up changing the story that you believe in."
For instance, it would have been extremely difficult to explain the story of Pranchiyettan and the Saint, he remarks. "But ultimately filmmaking is a director's art," Ranjith says, adding that this prompted him to helm his movies.
The filmmaker says that he also believes that it's the writer's and director's work, and not the actor's, that drives a movie.
"You cannot expect a movie to run in Kerala by basing it on the halo of a superstar such as Mammootty or Mohanlal," he points out. "It's their screen roles that usually succeed in making a hit film."
Conceding that the popularity of the superstars does attract the audience initially to the theatres, Ranjith says, "Once you are in the theatre, it's the efforts of the writer and the director that are unraveled."