Actor-filmmaker RJ Balaji's Singapore Saloon directed by Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara fame Gokul has opened in theatres starting today, Thursday, January 25. Amidst much hype and excitement for Singapore Saloon, RJ Balaji recently sat down for a one-on-one conversation with National Award-winning film critic Baradwaj Rangan, the Editor-in-Chief of Galatta Plus, to talk about the the coming-of-age entertainer and opened up on the potential for sequels to his films, LKG (2019) and Mookuthi Amman (2020).
Explaining his plans, RJ Balaji said, "Yes, these are all interesting characters. If it's Mookuthi Amman, it's a film about Amman. It's not like I first made a film about Amman, which has been there for a long time. With LKG, that character was interesting. Both LKG and Mookuthi Amman were social satires. With LKG, that character was an interesting person. He's not a typical hero, who's like a person doing good things . He'll do anything and is why he's interesting. But, in my mind, it's a proper pre-election film. It's about, 'Why make a sequel at a random time?' At the same time, when there's a gap of five years between two elections, you accumulate a lot of content."
RJ Balaji continued, "Since 2019 to date, I have accumulated and consumed a lot of content related to politics in terms of what's happening. If I have to make fun or show anything, I need to know what's happening. So, I constantly follow a lot of political developments just for the sake of that film. It's not because I have an interest or curiosity, but I get many ideas for the film from what they speak and do. However, it's a film that's to be made before an election. With a Mookuthi Amman kind of a film, it's something I like a lot and I feel that I can explore so much. I have an idea for that, but I don't [want to do that now]. After LKG, everyone asked me, 'What next? Will it be UKG then?' And, with Mookuthi Amman, I was asked, 'When is part 2 going to be made?' I don't want to do it at a time that's obvious. There needs to be a space between one film and the other."
Revealing that he has ideas for the next Mookuthi Amman film, RJ Balaji said, "It's not like a part 2, per se, but it's along the lines of a spiritual sequel. And, also like when we want to take a break or need to go out from the film that we're writing, we'll explore those ideas. In that light, I have stories for about 30 pages. But, I don't want to [make it for] business. What I'm saying is, 'I want to sell this just because it's marketable.' I don't want to do that. I should be in my zone to actually do that film. Otherwise, it can easily be made into a business. We can sell it to OTT or they'll buy it for theatres since its a devotional and commercial film. I don't want to do that for that purpose. I'll play close to my chest whenever needed and then speak about it outside. But, I am writing such a film too."
Watch RJ Balaji in conversation with Baradwaj Rangan in the video below:
