He is a master storyteller when it comes to biopics.
Tamil director Gnana Rajasekaran, who won a national award for his debut film, Mughamol, has carried the winning streak with his third film, Bharati, about Tamil poet Subramaniya Bharatiyaar, and his fourth, Periyar, based on social reform activist Periyar Ramasamy.
Expectations are naturally high now for his fifth film, Ramanujan, a biopic on iconic maths prodigy, Srinivasa Ramanujan, and his journey to Cambridge. Wth a stellar cast that boasts Suhasini Maniratnam, Nizhalgal Ravi, Sarath Babu, Y.G. Mahendran, Abbas, Malayali actress Bhama as well as British actors Kevin McGowan and Micheal Lieber, the promise is plenty.
Here, the former bureaucratic officer tells tabloid! about the film:
The idea
While watching Hollywood film, Good Will Hunting, there was a dialogue in the film that went like this, ‘You are not Ramanujan!’ In the US, Ramanujan is a household name, so he was being referred to casually, unlike in Tamil Nadu, where he is not. How many know about his life and his journey in mathematics?
I set out to explore Ramanujan. Reading profusely, I was stunned to find that his life was a real cinema. Here was a genius who suffered because of his extraordinary skills. His father was not happy and would tell him ‘What’s the point of scoring a centum in mathematics when you fail in other subjects? His school principal was of the same opinion. No one wants a genius. Indian society is happy with average students. We don’t know how to nurture a genius. Ramanujan is more relevant now with parents pushing their children into streams that they are not happy doing.
Filming
Ramanujan was shot in Tamil Nadu and Cambridge. We chose actual locations associated with his life, starting from the house where he was born and his school. We shot at Chennai Port Trust where Ramanujan worked. The story then moves to Cambridge which he attended during 1914-1919. We were the first Indian crew to shoot in this institution. Little anecdotes from his life make the story interesting like Ramanujan’s strict observations of vegetarianism and his refusal to step out of his orthodox ways. It will be quite a revelation to the audience.
Casting
Ramanujan’s eyes are important. While surfing online I came across Abhinay’s picture from his Telegu film. I found his eyes resembled that of Ramanujan. I am happy with Abhinay’s subtle acting.
Ramanujan’s mother, Komalatammal was a tough woman and a big support to her son. I felt Suhasini Maniratnam would justify this role. Nizhalgal Ravi is Ramanujan’s father. Bhama’s role as Ramanujam’s wife ranges from a child-like innocence to a mature character. She has acted well. Abbas plays P.C. Mahalanobis, Ramanujam’s friend at Cambridge and who later founded the Indian Statistical Institute.
We had one hundred British actors playing roles. Kevin McGowan is professor G.H. Hardy who mentors Ramanujan. Kevin was brilliant and even delivered lines in Tamil. Another good performer was Michael Lieber as professor Little Wood. It is an interesting combination of actors.
Challenges
Research work was extensive and took a year. Ramanujan has no descendants. His wife lived until she was 95 and died in penury. I have used her narration from a Tamil book as a reference. She suffered a lot and had differences with her mother-in-law who wanted to own Ramanujan.
Getting permission at Cambridge was difficult. Designing costumes was another challenge. My wife Shankunthala has done a wonderful job in creating costumes for the Indian characters and English characters of the 1900s. Being a bi-lingual we shot every scene twice.
Living with Ramanujan, for one and a half years was an emotional journey, so much so that you become Ramanujan. His story is extraordinary; he managed to overcome poverty and indifference of his peers to achieve what he did.
Cinema dreams
I have been a Sivaji Ganesan fan since class six and often enacted his roles at school or at family functions. After graduating in physics I joined theMadras Film Institute for a course in film direction but left the course to fulfil my father’s dreams following his demise. He wanted me to join the civil services. I made it in 1983. Travelling to other states on postings exposed me to cinema in other languages and international films. My love for the medium grew. From writing and staging plays I stepped into cinema with Moghamul, in 1995.
I believe that cinema should elevate people and should not be cheap entertainment.
— The Tamil version of Ramanujan releases in India in July. There are no dates for the English version yet.
