CHENNAI: AVM Saravanan is a man with an enviable lineage and a celebrated life. He speaks fondly of his father, “He believed in team work. He used to have scripts beneath his pillow while sleeping."
Elaborating on his chosen profession he shares, “I just picked up his line of thought and that has kept me in good stead."
When asked to pick one of the most unforgettable moments in his career, he has an impressive tale on the mercurial late NT Rama Rao (fondly called as NTR ), the screen god and politician, “I went to meet NTR to sign him up for my film. He was charging Rs 1 lakh back then.” He goes on to describe the amazing work ethic of NTR, “He told me that he was going to charge just Rs 90,000 for my film since 2 of his earlier films didn’t do well.” He also speaks highly of Kannada idol the late Dr Raajkumar, “He used to introduce me as his Ejamaan (employer) to other people.”
Our own Tamil superstars like MGR and Sivaji Ganesan weren’t far behind on issues of ethics and morality. He puts together a succinct opinion on the stars back in those days, “They both were absolutely busy in their own ways, but they never used to demand exorbitant amounts, their salaries would be just 10% of the budget, unlike today, where stars sometimes draw salaries half the budget.” Such instances pretty much define the way cinema worked back in those days and how things work today. The steady decline in the number of films produced by AVM productions and their subsequent foray into television is due to the fact that production costs have gone through the roof while moral and ethical obligations have pretty much vanished."
Asked about the issues currently affecting the film industry, he offers, “The cost of production has reached unimaginable levels. There is absolutely no check on the budget. When we used to work, the core team used to sit together and pitch in different ideas and discuss a story for months. And then plan the budget and stick to it. Today, nothing of that sort happens.”
But not one to forget those that have touched his life in some special way, the legend affectionately offers, “Even today if Rajinikanth is near my office he makes it a point to come and visit me, I would say he is a thorough gentleman who is always thinking about his producers. Kamal Hassan is very close to our family and enquires about our productions from time to time.” Speaking of relationships in the era gone by he offers, “We worked like a family back in those days, but now, it is just about money. The personal touch is completely lost.”
On the current trends in cinema, AVM Saravanan opines that getting back what is invested in a film has become tough. “The number of hits has considerably reduced today; recovering the investment is difficult. Controlling the menacing budget is a challenge in itself," he says.
When asked about the recent film he liked in the recent months, “I liked ‘Unnai Pol Oruvan’, it was very good film,”
Talking about the star who he thinks is going to be a force to reckon with in coming years, he is quick to add, “I think Suriya is doing a great job, ‘Ayan’ was one of the biggest hits for AVM in recent times. His father Sivakumar’s values have pretty much been passed on to Suriya as well.”
When quizzed about their landmark 175th film, he says “We have not yet decided on anything at all, I have no idea how we are going to take it forward,” the anguish and frustration is visible on his face but he opines, “Times have changed, so have the way films are made today, we need to adapt.”
All said and done, we definitely hope that the dignified work ethic of yesteryear is embraced by the current generation, not just for producers, but also to make sure Tamil cinema doesn’t suffer in terms of quality of films. After all, good work ethic, improves the quality of work.