Top 33 Karthik Subbaraj Quotes

When I thought of writing for Rajini sir, I told myself it will be a really cool character with a very happy-go-lucky attitude. We took such a character and placed him in a strong story, and I believe, as a combination, it has worked wonders.

I worked with an indie filmmaker called Mark Williams, a lawyer who was making a zero-budget family drama called ‘Move Me.’

I started as a short filmmaker and found that one of the toughest challenges was getting your film to be watched. I would enter it in competitions and release it online, but getting a mainstream theatre-going audience to view the film is difficult.

For a cinematographer, every frame has to be important.

Filmmaking is never easy as long as you continue learning from the process.

When I was watching ‘Sivaji,’ I had no clue I will be a filmmaker; I had not even started making short films at that time.

If a star film does not have a good story, it will not run. This will make stars choose good scripts consciously.

I would say ‘Jigarthanda’ had a lot of Tarantino in it, but it ends there. ‘Iraivi’ is inspired more from directors like Balu Mahendra, Mahendran, and K. Balachander.

I start writing with an open mind without thinking about genre and realise, only after writing, that it falls under many genres.

I have been trying to get theatre releases for short films ever since I have been making them. I didn’t get any response from theatres initially.

I made a lot of short films before making a feature film. Actually, I learnt film-making by making short films.

When I hear the news that the pirated version of my film is doing rounds, I cannot keep quiet.

For ‘Neer,’ we spent about Rs. 70,000 just on the boat.

My parents have let me do whatever I am interested in. Initially, they were apprehensive, but when they realised that filmmaking was my passion and that I was doing a good job with the short films and the recognition in ‘Naalaya Iyakkunar’ TV show, they supported and encouraged me.

I believe filmmakers must travel with their creations long after release.

You need actors and performers, but there has to be content in a film.

In a silent film, the visuals are of utmost importance.

When it comes to Sandalwood, I loved all the films of Rakshit Shetty and Pawan Kumar.

‘Iraivi’ is about women, men, and their priorities. It talks about women’s freedom, how men look at it, and how women use it. It’s neither preachy, nor is it about women’s empowerment.

Short films are good, especially since independent films are making waves now, more than before.

Besides being one of the most ambitious projects I have worked on, ‘Mercury’ has also helped me enhance my skills as a director.

When I made ‘Pizza,’ all I had in my mind was to make the film reach as many people as possible.

A theatrical release is not possible for a short film.

Importantly, Rajini sir doesn’t take his fans and audiences for granted.

Although technology has been playing a key role in filmmaking, I feel there are plenty of opportunities in other branches of filmdom.

I would like to direct good actors, and there are good actors who are stars.

‘Mercury’ is about a big company exploiting a small town. There is a place in Tamil Nadu called Kodaikanal. It had a thermometer factory, which would dump the mercury into the river. This affected a lot of people. This incident is the inspiration for this film.

I did a lot of short films before doing feature films.

Good actors can make a huge difference to a scene that might sound or read flat.

On an average, any short film will cost at least Rs. 60,000. Apart from film festivals, where is the avenue to get that money back?

Cinema is a visual medium one has to communicate through visuals, and therefore, dialogues should be less.

Ever since I made the short film ‘Black And White,’ which had almost no dialogues, the idea of making a silent feature film fascinated me.

I met Rajini sir after ‘Jigarthanda,’ and he said he liked my film. He told me I could approach him whenever I had a good idea. I had never thought he would listen to scripts from new directors. After the meeting, I wondered, ‘Should I take his words seriously or not? Should I write something?’