Kavin And I Were Convincing Each Other That The Film Would Work: Dada Director Ganesh

In a scene in Dada, Manikandan (Kavin), a college student, struggles to contend with the fact that he is a single father now and has to take care of a just-born baby. Sitting next to him, Amit (Harish K), his best friend, gives all sorts of advice and Gyan. As they discuss how to take care of the baby, Manikandan casually tells Amit, “Don’t think of marriage for the next three years.” Although the latter throws a funny fit, he eventually agrees to stay a bachelor for Manikandan and his son. Meanwhile, the baby starts crying and the guys share a clueless look. This conversation changes the melodramatic tone of the situation and instead finds humour in their sadness.  

“We are also such friends who will laugh during serious situations. naanga saavu veetilaye siripom (We will even laugh at a funeral),” quips director Ganesh K Babu. “The only hope for Manikandan is his friend. What if Amit gets married and his wife does not allow him to take care of Manikandan’s child? Basically, if I was in Manikandan’s position, I would have had that thought. So, the scenes of Manikandan and Amit were often a reflection of my real-life friendships.” 

In a film about an unplanned pregnancy, a messed-up relationship and a college student embracing fatherhood, what adds more value are Manikandan’s friendships, both in college and office. In a candid conversation, Ganesh explains why a film (his film) is a result of good friendships and decodes the making of a few scenes in Dada. 

Dada is about a college student embracing fatherhood. How did you first get this idea?

I got this idea around 2013 when I was studying at the film institute. It happened to one of my classmates. The couple got pregnant and they fought with their families. After a lot of struggle, when the baby was born, we went to see them. This guy would look rough and tough but the way he handled the kid was very different. That’s when I got the idea. I developed the story based on my experiences, the people I observed and my imagination about how I would raise a kid. 

We can see two different treatments in your film. One is where the scenes are subtle and restrained. The other is where the scenes are loud and templated like the soup song and office party. Did the initial script include all these elements?

No, the first version of the script was very raw. The tone and mood in the second half was similar to that of the first half. But as a newcomer, besides how good the story is, we will have a little insecurity about whether the film will be a theatre material or not. People would like the story and listen but after a point, the discussion would stop. We didn’t know why. 

Then, I got an opportunity to narrate the story to director Ram. This was back then when he had just made Peranbu (2018). The film was in more or less his metre. He told me that the script was okay but asked me to think about how I wanted to do my first film. He also gave me a few suggestions on how to rework it commercially. He told me that “Nee try pannu, idhu vera maari nalla irukum” (You try this, it will be good but in a different way). So, as a team, we have tried to keep it simple and real in most places.  

Tell us about your team. 

My team members were majorly my friends from school, college and media, except the music director, who was roped in through Kavin. The script is also what it is today because of them. We have watched a lot of films about friendship, and in turn, I believe that a film is a result of good friendships. I don’t call Dada my film; we all made it together. I would call my next film, “my film.” I think that is when I will get to know a lot more about myself and I will take credit for that film. 

About your next, you got to sign the project the day after Dada’s release. 

I signed it on the day of release. It is with Lyca Productions. Everyone told Dada is good and running well, what Lyca did was like a promotion for us. That was an extended help from them. 

How did Lyca come in for your second project?

I was supposed to do Dada with Lyca but due to certain reasons, we were not able to work together. We stayed in touch always, so there was a film on the cards. But I didn’t expect it would happen this soon. 

Coming back to the film, both Sindhu (Aparna Das) and Manikandan are flawed. The fact that neither of them is perfect helps you empathise with both their mistakes and journeys. How did you come up with the characters?

I was clear that I don’t want a hero and heroine, I want characters. And as characters, each one of us is flawed. Yaarume inga perfect kedaiyaadhu. Elaarukume inga aasaigal irukum, adhula konjam azhukugalum irukum. (No one is perfect here. Everyone will have wishes and there will be some dirt along with it). I don’t know how it will be to see someone succeed like us but when we see someone who is flawed and makes mistakes like us, we get connected. Why most people connect with the film today is because they see themselves on screen. This concept worked in this film, but I am not sure if it will work for all films. 

When you say you are not sure if it will work for all films, were you initially sceptical about this film?

Not really, we go with a certain judgement, right? But Kavin was concerned about the first half. He liked the story as soon as he heard but he was worried whether the character is going overboard. Kavin used to tell me that he was doing this film solely for the second half. To put it into perspective, the first half is my film and the second half is Kavin’s film. During the shoot of the second half, the roles were reversed, Kavin used to give me hope that it would work out. So, we were repeatedly convincing each other that the film would turn out to be good (laughs). 

How did you write the first scene where Sindhu is seen resting on Manikandan’s chest and the conversation they had? That small sequence tells a lot of details. 

I had already shot a similar scene for my music video, but not many people watched it. Even though I couldn’t do it properly back then, I knew this scene would have a wonderful touch. So I used that in the film. I copied from my own music video 'Aagaasa Vaani', so no issues with copyrights. 

And the background crosstalk of a couple fighting in the scene? 

So the concept was that a drunk husband and his wife were fighting in the neighbourhood. The idea is like Manikandan and Sindhu were time travelling and fighting in the future. Also, I was the one shouting in the background. (There we go! The director cameo that went unnoticed)

Another scene was the group WhatsApp chat. A person says “group la e odudhu da” (Literally translated: There is only a fly in the group. Meaning: No one is responding) and visually we could see a fly moving around the chats.

Haha, yeah. The group WhatsApp chat was initially a proper scene but somehow the card got corrupted and we lost the footage. We did think of reshooting it but I didn’t want to add more expenses. I thought that it would work if we could do it like a WhatsApp conversation. Most of them told me to remove that “fly” concept. But we were like Ivalo panrom, idhayum vechu viduvom (We are doing so much, we will keep the fly as well). That fly was my idea, the group conversation that happens on WhatsApp was done by the editor and Music director avar velaiku oru vela paathu vitaaru (And the music director did something as his contribution); he added that “Eppurra” dialogue. We all somehow together made this scene. Now people are laughing, so I am happy.

Last question. how do you look at the success of Dada?

When I made the film, I had to yield to some sorts of pressures and portrayals. But Dada has instilled confidence in the new filmmakers. They tell me that Dada has become like a reference point and they can make films with even relatively lesser-known actors. We all wish for our work to be celebrated. So enakkum aasai irundhuchu (even I had that wish) but I didn’t expect this kind of response. When we saw the success it received, we all cried. Now, we can make films the way we want because the audience is believing us. We also have more responsibility, it is a mixed feeling. Aana indha feel nalla iruku! (But this feels good)