Started ‘Maari 2’ With the Villain in Mind: Dir Mohan Balaji

‘Maari 2’ stars Dhanush, Sai Pallavi, Tovino Thomas and Varalaxmi.

Director Balaji Mohan reunites with Dhanush in Maari 2.

(Photo: Vikram Venkateswaran)

Maari 2 is director Mohan Balaji’s second film with Dhanush. It also stars Sai Pallavi, Tovino Thomas and Varalaxmi in lead roles and Robo Shankar and Vinod who reprise their parts as sidekicks.

In an interview with The Quint, Mohan Balaji talks about his method, casting Sai Pallavi and what goes into making a commercial success.

Pre-release jitters? How are you feeling?

Actually, I don’t get jittery or tense. My involvement with the film is done the moment I get the final print in my hand. After that, it belongs to the audience. That has always been the case with me. But given the way fans react to Dhanush sir’s films, I’m excited to experience the first day, first show with them.

Balaji Mohan, the Reticent Director

Balaji Mohan considers himself to be a stoic director.

How are you on set as a director? You don’t look like a very emotive person.

Ah, I get that complaint from Dhanush quite a lot. I don’t react after a scene, mostly because I’m thinking of the next one. But it’s seen as my being very serious and sparse with compliments.

Dhanush sir would go, ‘Say something at least, Balaji!’, after a scene. So in the next one I’d say, ‘That’s done. Super, sir!’ And he would say, ‘Now you’re saying it just to make me feel happy.’

I really appreciate the performances on the edit table. That’s when I look at each of the actors and genuinely appreciate them. I forget to tell them to the face once I’m outside! I think I should change that!

The fans expect something of Dhanush in a mass-entertainer. Are you comfortable making such films or is it constricting?

As far as Maari is concerned, it kind of breaks away from the hero format if you look at it. Usually, in the interval, the hero is supposed to challenge somebody and say a dialogue to the villain. That itself is broken in the first instalment, where the heroine puts her in jail and he goes in joking about it. Even the hero-heroine relationship is not formulaic. At the end of the day, I too am an audience and I expect to see certain things in a mass film.

If the audience expects a ‘biryani’, then that’s what you need to give them. You can serve a biryani that tastes different but it has to be a biryani at the end of the day. That’s what we’ve tried to do with Maari 2. Dhanush sir has always been open to experimentation within the framework of a commercial film.

Sai Pallavi as Anandi: Not Your Typical Heroine

Did you write the character of Anandi with Sai Pallavi in mind?

No, it was written as a character. I designed a character as an auto driver who emotes and loves in a certain way. The character demanded a casting which was unique. She’s not a typical heroine at all. It had to be portrayed by a very convincing actor who was deeply emotional yet somebody who could pull off fun in a very nonchalant way. She needed to be likeable.

We needed shades of Premam and Fida and then something more. After I saw Sai Pallavi in these two films, I was convinced she would fit this role. 

Tovino Thomas, The Villain Who Started it All

Mollywood star Tovino Thomas plays the villain Beeja in the film.

Was the decision to cast Tovino Thomas informed by the current trend of importing actors from other languages?

The idea was to cast a lead actor in the role. He needed to be a hero who was willing to play the villain. He needed to fit the role and give us that involvement. It all fell into place with Tovino. If someone from the Tamil film industry had all these qualities, I would have cast a Tamil actor.

But obviously, now his fans will be looking forwarding to watching him. And there’s an added value to a Malayalam release. I think that’s a healthy trend, both for the actor and for the film to spread boundaries.

Maari 2 releases on 21 December.