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The film industry is unique in how the public memory of an artist continues to dictate the success of his subsequent projects. In such conditions, it becomes irrelevant to keep churning out work, and coming back after years off might as well mean you’re making your debut all over again. But as for M Saravanan who grabbed attention with a strong Tamil debut (Engaeum Eppothum), a comeback film is like a debut with the added weight of expectation.
M Saravanan is back with an action thriller titled Scope, in which Trisha played the lead role. All set to release on December 30, the film follows Trisha’s Thaiyal Nayagi, a journalist with a fierce personality who, while investigating an issue affecting her personal life, ends up unraveling a larger conspiracy that takes her on a perilous journey across borders .
When asked about his long absence, the director takes us back to 2015, “After my last Tamil film Valiyavan i failed i went and did it Chakravyuha in Kannada.” Apparently, his mentor AR Murugadoss then suggested that he work from his office. “So I would go there every day to work on my own scripts, but after noticing that it was taking me too much time to to complete my script, Murugadoss sir gave me a story line and after I turned it into a script, he suggested that I take it to Lyca Productions.
While audiences may have trouble picturing Trisha in a full-fledged action role, Saravanan feels confident about his lead actor, “Trisha was always my first option for Tayyal Nayagi. The story required someone who should carry the maturity of a senior journalist but also look young and bold, and I found all that in Trisha.” Although the film stars Trisha, the star of some of the industry’s biggest romantic hits, Saravanan says he didn’t feel the need to give a romantic angle to Trisha’s character for the simple reason that the story didn’t call for one. However, he says, “Trisha doesn’t have a romantic interest in the film, but that doesn’t mean there’s no romance in the film.” And when asked who Tayyal Nayagi is, the director quickly replied, “So Tayyal Nayagi is a fierce journalist who goes to any length for what she thinks is the right thing to do, and that’s where the title Scope comes, we use this word to describe an arrogant woman, but this word is also often used to denigrate independent, determined women who stand up for what they believe in.
According to the director, Raangi also deals with a larger theme that works as a subtext to the main narrative. Saravanan explains, “A powerful person will always make sure that a person who is weaker than him does not end up at the top, we have seen this power struggle between people, communities, social hierarchies. In the film, we showed how this happens between two nations.” In truth, it was this part of the film, along with the COVID restrictions, that ultimately delayed the film’s release. “The film’s commentary on international politics gave us trouble at the censors.” but then he cautiously maintains: “I wouldn’t say Scope is a full-fledged political thriller, yet we were warned not to name certain countries and organizations in the censorship.” Saravanan then expressed his disapproval of such censorship in the form of a question: “When something is reported in the news as fact, I don’t understand why it is not can be shown in a film.” This limits the artist’s creative expression, says Saravanan, who further clarifies his position by saying, “So now when I sit down to write my film, I have to think twice before I write every line , and I have to be extremely careful. After that, it becomes difficult to write in an effective way that leads to the thought of your audience.”
The international part of the shoot took place in Uzbekistan in terrible weather, which dropped to -2 degrees Celsius. But despite the harsh weather, the challenge of filming in the country was still the language barrier, says the director. But the film’s harsh weather, language barrier and complicated climax were worth it for Saravanan as he remains hopeful that the international setting, relevant themes, romantic elements and creepy hero will work to provide an entertaining experience for the audience.
After a grueling, two-year battle to get the film released, one would think he could take time off to relax and regroup. “I took too many breaks,” laughed the director before continuing, “I have trouble connecting with people and my director (AR Murugadoss) knows that well, I guess that’s why he suggested I do this. Otherwise, I’ll just keep working on my scripts.”
When asked about his plans for the future, the director did not find time to answer: “I don’t want to repeat myself, I’m always on the hunt for something new. I want to register new types of people on screen,” he concludes the conversation, dropping a hint about his next project, “Just like my previous films were completely different from each other, my upcoming film Naadu with Big boss Tarshan’s glory will also be very different from Scope.”
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