I have a liking for negative characters: JD Chakravarthy

The sensational hit of Tollywood, Siva, which released almost three decades ago, was a successful film in Tamil (Udhayam) as well. JD Chakravarthy, who essayed the negative role in it, has since been popular in Kollywood, too. With a slew of films in Kollywood, including Pattarai, the actor-filmmaker seems excited about his innings here. In a chat with us, he talks about his penchant for negative roles, his upcoming works which include his directorial projects, his mentor Ram Gopal Varma’s (RGV) influence on him, and how he regrets not being able to dub in Tamil and more…
You seem to be kicked about Pattarai.What is so special about the movie, and how different is your character in it from the other ones you have essayed so far?
When director Peter Allvin approached me to play a negative character in it, I immediately said ‘no’. In fact, I wasn’t impressed with the subject, which is about women trafficking. Later, Allvin convinced me, thanks to his narrative style and utmost passion. I have always been an unabashedly selfish person. But during the shoot of the movie, I felt I was becoming a better person. Though I realised it later that the change was momentary, I was happy to have landed an interesting role. My respect for women increased because of the way the sensitive subject has been handled in the movie. The screenplay has scope for skin shows, but the director was keen on sticking to the subject and portraying the harsh realities. This is a movie I can watch with my mother, sister and wife. The film throws light on prostitution and the way women are ill-treated in the business, which will leave an impact on the audience.
How do you decide to do a movie?
I observe the passion with which a director narrates the story. I believe there are no more new stories — everything has been done to death. If you look at Udhayam now, it didn’t have a new story. The way in which it was presented did the trick and made the film a hit.
You are often seen in negative roles, especially in Tamil…
I have done almost all kinds of roles in Telugu. I have a liking for negative characters, as I feel they offer more scope when compared to playing a good person on screen. An antagonist can do a lot of things while a hero has to be a well-mannered guy who talks morality. I’m again doing a negative role in one of my upcoming movies, which has got a comedy angle to it.
How comfortable are you in Tamil? Do you have plans to dub in Tamil for your role?
I know one has to dub in his own voice. But though I follow the language, I can’t dub for a role. My mother is a Tamilian and my father speaks Telugu. My sister knows Tamil well. I often complain that my mom didn’t insist me to learn Tamil. As a director, when I make others dub in different languages, I feel embarrassed that I myself
couldn’t do it.
What is RGV’s influence on you as far as film making is concerned?
Both of us are huge movie buffs and I am happy to have got a good guru like him. He’s highly motivated and loves talking only about films or books. However, we are poles apart when it comes to things other than cinema except for the fact that both of us don’t socialise much. He has been open about his drinking habit while I’m a teetotaller. I have always been a mama’s boy but he’s not much attached to anyone. I think it’s the difference which keeps us going. Moreover, he never tries to thrust his ideologies or viewpoints upon others.
What do you think about RGV’s films not making much impact in the recent years?
He’s someone who introduced many new things to cinema. When he talked about digital cinema, many laughed at him. The response was same when he suggested that corporate companies should venture into filmmaking. He received a similar response when he said films should be insured. He said that every producer should have a distribution company, and again, he was laughed at. But over the years, all his observations made sense. Around 65 of his assistants have become independent filmmakers. It’s true that some of his films are not making much noise in recent times; it’s just that sometimes mistakes do happen because of wrong judgements. However, he keeps experimenting. And he has this knack of moving on to the next project at great speed. His last film Officer with Nagarjuna didn’t leave any impact because, like I said earlier, something went wrong. In fact, Nagarjuna loved the film, but something wasn’t right.
As a director, how keen are you in learning technology?
Most of us get confused about technique and technology. For me, a best technician is someone who can narrate a story effectively. I don’t think you need the most modern gadgets for that. Even after these many years, Mani Ratnam is considered a good technician because he knows how to tell a story interestingly. In my case, I’m the only director from the country whose film was archived at the New York Institute of Technology, as part of their film course. I was told that the episode I directed in the anthology Darna Zaroori Hai, which starred Randeep Hooda, was appreciated because of its emotion — it had nothing to do with updated technology.
What are your upcoming projects?
I’m directing a trilingual film under Ram Gopal Varma’s production — it will be a bold and controversial film. Anything which he associates becomes controversial. I, too, have a similar image in Tollywood. So, when we both unite for a project, it will be the mother of all controversies. It is a concept-oriented film and there were more than 100 cases filed against us as soon as we announced it. We have been keeping the details of it under wraps since then. An out-and-out adventure film in Hindi under my helm is also in the pipeline. Then, Arjun and I play lead roles in a multilingual flick which has Sameer, one of my assistants, directing it. It has Karnataka CM Kumarasamy’s wife Radhika playing the female lead. Apart from these, I’m also acting in Gandhigiri, a Kannada film and a Telugu film which is produced by Kalaipuli Thanu.
Tell us about some of your Chennai memories…
I love Chennai, not just me, even my mother, sister and wife love the city. My wife’s favourite holiday spot is Chennai. My cinema life, too, started here, the then Madras. I still relish the good memories I had in Rangarajapuram, Directors’ Colony, Woodlands, Saravana Bhavan, and so on.