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Tribune News Network
Doha
Indian filmmaker and one of the trendsetters in the comedy genre of Malayalam cinema, Siddique, has chosen serious drama over humour in his latest outing and cites his “ageing” for slipping out of the familiar groove.
His latest film, Big Brother,an action-thriller starring celebrated Malayalam actor Mohanlal, released in Qatar on Friday.
The director and his name-sake, actor Siddique — who plays a prominent character in the film — were in Doha for the Qatar launch of the film organised by Radio Malayalam 98.6 FM, the Truth Group and Lal Cares & Mohanlal Fans Online Unit-Qatar.
At a meet-the-press held at Zaitoon Restaurant in Doha as part of the movie launch, Siddique, the director, opened up about the reason for ditching comedy for dramatic elements in Big Brother,the impact of online fault-finding on the movie industry, and the need for the audience to approach cinema with an open mind.
“Big Brother does not follow my usual style. It chronicles the life of Mohanlal’s Sachidanand, who acts as the saviour of his family. It is treated with the seriousness the subject demands but humour is present in adequate amount,” he said.
Siddique, who has revolutionised situational comedy in Malayalam films with cult comedies like Ramjirao Speaking, In Harihar Nagar and Godfather, said his shift from comedy to serious narrative has been gradual.
“Simply put, the change has been brought about by my age,” he said, denying the readily-available humour on social media had any role in his decision to switch track.
“If humour were to run out, there wouldn’t have been any comedy creations after Charlie Chaplin’s, but there have been. Nothing leads to the end of anything. WhatsApp jokes and memes and trolls on social media show the growth of humour in Malayalam,” he said.
Social media, however, poses another definite problem to filmmakers — it makes everyone a critic. According to Siddique, finding shortcomings is a basic human tendency. But one or two flaws shouldn’t shadow the overall goodness of a film, he said.
Siddique, the actor, agreed. “One should have an ability to appreciate the good things. When they criticise a film, a lot of people think they are above such films. Constructive criticism is welcome. It helps us correct our mistakes. But what we have on social media most of the time is blatant outrage.”
The versatile actor, who has essayed several memorable roles in his career spanning almost three decades, said he often ignores such negative comments about films on social media.
Doha
Indian filmmaker and one of the trendsetters in the comedy genre of Malayalam cinema, Siddique, has chosen serious drama over humour in his latest outing and cites his “ageing” for slipping out of the familiar groove.
His latest film, Big Brother,an action-thriller starring celebrated Malayalam actor Mohanlal, released in Qatar on Friday.
The director and his name-sake, actor Siddique — who plays a prominent character in the film — were in Doha for the Qatar launch of the film organised by Radio Malayalam 98.6 FM, the Truth Group and Lal Cares & Mohanlal Fans Online Unit-Qatar.
At a meet-the-press held at Zaitoon Restaurant in Doha as part of the movie launch, Siddique, the director, opened up about the reason for ditching comedy for dramatic elements in Big Brother,the impact of online fault-finding on the movie industry, and the need for the audience to approach cinema with an open mind.
“Big Brother does not follow my usual style. It chronicles the life of Mohanlal’s Sachidanand, who acts as the saviour of his family. It is treated with the seriousness the subject demands but humour is present in adequate amount,” he said.
Siddique, who has revolutionised situational comedy in Malayalam films with cult comedies like Ramjirao Speaking, In Harihar Nagar and Godfather, said his shift from comedy to serious narrative has been gradual.
“Simply put, the change has been brought about by my age,” he said, denying the readily-available humour on social media had any role in his decision to switch track.
“If humour were to run out, there wouldn’t have been any comedy creations after Charlie Chaplin’s, but there have been. Nothing leads to the end of anything. WhatsApp jokes and memes and trolls on social media show the growth of humour in Malayalam,” he said.
Social media, however, poses another definite problem to filmmakers — it makes everyone a critic. According to Siddique, finding shortcomings is a basic human tendency. But one or two flaws shouldn’t shadow the overall goodness of a film, he said.
Siddique, the actor, agreed. “One should have an ability to appreciate the good things. When they criticise a film, a lot of people think they are above such films. Constructive criticism is welcome. It helps us correct our mistakes. But what we have on social media most of the time is blatant outrage.”
The versatile actor, who has essayed several memorable roles in his career spanning almost three decades, said he often ignores such negative comments about films on social media.
