Dhanush’s ‘Vaathi’ is a hope for change, says director Venky Atluri

Dhanush and Samyuktha from the set of ‘Vaathi’ (left) and Venky Atluri (right)
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

With all the chaos that happens in the days inching towards the release of a film, it’s natural that most filmmakers feel the heat; some even describe a numbing calmness that takes over them. If it’s a big star vehicle that can impact your career in a big way, the director has no option but to submit to the process and just hold on to hope. So when Venky Atluri talks to us days before the release of his Tamil-Telugu film with Dhanush, Vaathi ( Sir in Telugu), one can feel a bit of tension in his voice. But the filmmaker says that the pressure hasn’t affected him. “Fortunately, we have a good team who ensure that the pressure doesn’t get to me. Everyone’s handling the situation well and we are delivering on time,” he assures.

Vaathi, a social commentary on the education sector, is a story that came to Venky during the pandemic phase when schools were closed and classes had to be taken online. “I observed how most of the parents, who themselves weren’t getting salaries on time, had to buy a smartphone and once again invest in the education of their child. What further disturbed me was how some schools charged bus fees when there was no transportation. Parents did question the management but the answers they got were very demeaning, and then the government had to intervene.” Having done most of his schooling in the Nineties — when most junior colleges started having coaching for engineering and medicine entrances — Venky thought of telling a story about how the education sector has been commercialised.

Though he had a story, it was by chance that the filmmaker narrated it to Dhanush; he says he had no agenda there, and he was elated when Dhanush gave a thumbs up. But considering he wrote it without a star in mind, was there re-working required? Most heroes would have thought of the ‘star components’ in the screenplay — the introduction song and the slow-motion moments — but Dhanush isn’t one of those stars, says Venky. “If you see films like Asuran and Karnan, he plays an underdog. He has no qualms about falling on someone else’s feet ( Asuran). So he never asks anyone to change a particular script to suit his stardom.” Venky believes that this quality is what made Dhanush a star. “It’s very to see someone attain stardom doing realistic cinema and he’s one rare talent,” he says.

Dhanush and Samyuktha from the set of ‘Vaathi’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Having watched only about ten films of Dhanush, Venky needed to be sure that he isn’t repeating anything; the actor was happy to help. “He would tell me ‘hey, I did something similar previously and so let’s change it a bit.’ Those creative inputs were mighty helpful and I was happy to take his advice because I was not aware of his other Tamil films and he has done close to 50 films in his career.”

For Vaathi, Venky also had to ensure that the story was told in an entertaining manner, to avoid coming across as preachy. “There have been social dramas that took that route and that’s what I am doing as well,” he says. As far as ensuring the social commentary doesn’t attract controversy, Venky says that all he cares about is to tell the truth.

Many say that the role of an artist, be it a journalist or a director making a social film, ends with putting it out to the public. What happens later — whether it creates a change in society or not — has no bearing on the artist, it is said. Venky, who is making his first social drama after three romcoms, says that all an artist can do is to hope for change. He cites the ever-changing headlines as an example “Let’s say a journalist reports a certain truth and the piece gets views, likes and gets people talking.After a week, when the situation remains the same, the news becomes stale and people get a new thing to discuss about. At the same time, we can’t be pessimistic either. Doing Vaathi stems from my hope to see change,” says Venky. Having watched the film multiple times, Venky says that he is confident that it will touch people’s hearts. “Every time I watched the film, I left the edit room with a heavy heart; not a ‘sad heart’ but a ‘happy heart.’ I hope audiences feel the same way.”

Vaathi releases in theatres on February 17