‘Having crisp elements in the movie has its own commercial value’

Debutant director Franklin Jacob was gritty and nervous about the release of his film Writer on December 24. His producers, Aditi and Ashwini Chaudhary from Golden Ratio Films and Little Red Car Films were along with him. “We have been in the industry since the 90s and have seen several Friday releases. Leave the verdict to the audience. If you believe that you have worked to your conviction, the movie will surely be a success,” say Aditi and Ashwini as Franklin thanks them for their support.

The promos of the film were promising and looked to provoke a reaction when seen as a whole movie. “Writer is a film that deals with an imbalance in the system which results in affecting the workstyle or work culture. This doesn’t deal with politics from a specific timeline. There are some police laws and work norms that are still being followed since the British rule in India. There have been impacts on their physical and mental health, which is what Writer talks about,” says Franklin.

The director says that the film will still hold a good deal of commercialism to it and will be an enjoyable watch for the audience.

“I don’t believe in arthouse films. A story that is packed crisply with necessary elements and provides enough thrills for the audience throughout its runtime is also a commercial entertainer. Writer will keep the audience on the edge-of-the-seat,” he assures. The film is also jointly produced by Ranjith’s Neelam Productions and Jetty Productions.

Talking about a producer in Mumbai, coming forward to produce a debut director’s film in Tamil, Ashwini and Aditi say, “Franklin’s way of delving deep into the story and explaining how a police station works in our country was the hook for us to produce this movie. The milieu and characters were perfectly placed and this would strike a chord with the audience across the country. Also, Ranjith’s Neelam Productions in the south has made films that stand for a cause and we have been making such films across languages. So when we heard the script of Writer, we thought this is the right time for us to venture into Tamil.”

Franklin first met Samuthirakani on the sets of Kaala. “I told him I am planning to make a film and he wished me the best. When I discussed the script with Ranjith he said that Samuthirakani would suit the role better and will help me finish the movie on time. Samuthirakani had to put on some belly fat for the role which is older than his age. He did that in a few days and suited the character to a T. If not for him, it wouldn’t have been possible to finish the movie on time,” Franklin concludes.