 In his father's footsteps
AVM Saravanan
 It's the100th birth anniversary of his father AV Meiyappa Chettiar, founder of the AVM empire. It's the 60th year of the founding of the AVM banner. And it's the banner's production of it's 168th film 'Sivaji', the AVM-Shanker-Rajnikanth extravaganza. Saravanan who has valiantly carried on his father's legacy despite all the rough patches the production house had to go through over the years, goes on a nostalgic trip, giving an insight in the working of the industry, as he talks about his father's legacy and the changed scenario today.
Forty-eight years in cinema, what do you feel is your greatest achievement?
I remember it was in 1958, April 9, that I took my first step into cinema. There were many rough patches
we had to go through since then. And today we are one of the two fully functioning oldest studios in India.
There were 28 studios then in Chennai itself (Madras). And today it's just AVM and the Prasad Studio that is
fully active. In the present scenario, to maintain and survive for 60 long years, I think that is our greatest achievement, if you wish to call it that. It's all due to my father's blessings and God's grace.
Like most big establishments today, yours too is a house divided. Has it affected you personally or professionally?
It's a natural process which is bound to happen after a certain stage. I take it as a positive factor for growth and don't worry much about it. Recently, I read a statement by Mukesh Ambani, that since he and brother Anil split, they both have done well for themselves. And grown even further. We are the second generation, and now the third, even the fourth (my granddaughters) have stepped in. There are bound to be changes. Ultimately, everyone has to find his/her own path and do what he/she is comfortable with. I don't see anything wrong in it.
During your father's time it was he who called the shots. But today it's the stars who dominate, and who
you have to chase. Does it bother you?
Those days it was a different scenario. My father used to first have the story ready and then go for a suitable actor. Whether it was Sivaji, Gemini, Ravichandran or Jai Shankar, they were all chosen only if the script suited them. I can think of only one film where a hero was chosen and the script woven round him. It was for 'Anbe Va' which was scripted with MGR in mind. After a eight-year gap, when we re-entered film production, the scenario had changed entirely. We had to cater to a changed audience taste, we had lost the middle class audience to the small screen. It's mainly the working population and the youth who go to the theatres today. We had to run our studio too. So it became inevitable that we see to the viability of a product and select heroes who are
saleable. A film with a saleable star-cast gets its distributors, exhibitors and theatres faster too. As Muktha Sreenivasan says, from producers we have become proposal makers today.
But there are smaller films with a non-star cast being made and that too with success. Like a
'Kadhal'. Why haven't you ventured into it? You could have given fresh talent a chance like your father did.
True that some of the non-star cast films, say aout 5 per cent - 10 per cent, have been successful. But while an individual producer can take such a risk and the losses, for a large institutions like ours, we cannot afford to do that.
But heroes come with a big price tag.
They know their market value and they know that they are saleable. And with the producers in a queue to sign them up, they naturally ask their price. I don't grudge them that, for an actor can make his money only when he has the market. If a couple of his films flop and he loses his market, no producer would venture to sign him, even if he came free. We have seen so many examples around us. So why blame the actor if he makes his pile while the going is good?
So even a banner like yours can't get a concession from them?
Nothing. No concession! We too are no exception. But here I remember an incident with N T Rama Rao. NTR was charging a lakh those days and was to do a film for us. He gave an appointment at 4.30 a.m. I went to his house with our distributor Poornachandra Rao. NTR was up and ready with his make-up. He said, "Saravanan do you know how much I am charging?" I said I knew that he was charging one lakh. He said, you know that my last two films have not done well? I replied that I was aware of it. Then he said something that surprised and shocked me. He said, "When our films are successful we increase our price. Now that two of my films have flopped, you can reduce my fee to Rs 90,000." Though I may not get any concession today, I'm happy that like an NTR, an MGR, Sivaji or a Rajkumar, today too there is sill a Rajnikant, a Kamal Haasan and a Vijaykanth who show us the same respect. Which unfortunately we don't get from the rest in today's generation who treat us more like producers! Though I have to admit that they do come and meet us when we phone them.
Is it that some fly-by-night producers are disturbing the balance of the industry?
True. Many new entrants to production today enter enamoured by the glamour, fame or only to make profit. They are not seriously interested in the creative side of film-making nor do they understand the business. And it is difficult for them to sustain for long. It's they again who push up the star rates too. A while back I'd signed a hero for a crore, after working out the entire cost, and spending two days in discussion with the distributors. But it all came to nothing! For, some producer who obviously had no idea of the market, offered the hero two crores as fee. And now the actor wanted me to give him 'something more'. Of course I didn't oblige, and dropped the
project with him. I could have complained to the producer's council. But then creative work can't be done under co-ercion and threat, and in an atmosphere of disinterest and ill-feeling.
So with the changed scenario, when many big studios and production houses have folded up, how have you
managed to keep your father's legacy going?
It's because we don't gamble. We treat film-making as a business and do it with involvement. When we begin a project, we work out the entire cost of production, keeping a slight margin for cushioning in case the cost jumped up a little. Then I call our distributors, frankly telling them the cost and keep only a margin, 10 per cent - 15 per cent for myself. If the picture flops, I don't bear the entire loss, but for my next film I do take a lesser margin of profit. If the picture is a big hit, I increase my profit-margin the next time. That keeps both me and my distributors happy, and our losses at a minimum. It's a give-and-take policy between us, it's worked out well, and it keeps us
both going.
Does your son Guhan, who has stepped in now, follow your policy? The next generation seems a more impatient
got-to-get-there-fast type!
Fortunately, Guhan is not the impatient type. In fact, he is more careful and calmer than me. In today's changed times, I feel he can take care of production better than I could have done. I concentrate more on the small screen, which is actually supporting our studio. At times I sit to hear the story discussion. But I've found that today's directors are not too happy revealing their stories even to the producer!
What advice did your father give you, that you've adhered to, and what have you passed on to your son?
My father was so intuitive about people, life and business. I find his every advice valuable even today. Like he used to say that we are not the owners of property, but only its custodians. When he was 49 years old, he divided the entire property among us, keeping nothing for himself. I've done the same too with Guhan. My father used to tell us to treat film production strictly as a business, and we are following it. Only, I may be a little more traditional, while Guhan may have a more contemporary, modern approach. The fourth generation (my granddaughters) too have stepped in and are being trained n the same principles.
Let's come to 'Sivaji'. It's taking a long time in making, the financial aspect must be bothering you.
Shanker has his own style of working. He is a very meticulous director who seeks perfection, and his schedules are well-planned. Even Rajnikant expressed his satisfaction over Shanker's work style. But one difference is that while for all our earlier projects we sold the film the day we announced it, this is the first time I'll be selling my film only after the entire shoot is over. When I can be sure what exactly my total cost of production is. As for the funding, the financial part has been taken care of by the bank (IOB), and the entire transactions are through
cheques. The film should most probably be an April release.
Talking of Rajni, how did you get him to act in 'Sivaji'?
Frankly, there is no question of our 'approaching' Rajni! If he decides to do a film for someone, he himself will approach them. He came to our studio one day, and it was while we were talking casually that he expressed his desire to do his next film for us. We, of course, were elated. Incidentally, we are the only producers to have done a record nine films with him. It was Guhan who roped in Shanker for it. Later, on an auspicious day, Guhan and I went and gave Rajni a token amount of Rs 1,000 as the signing fee. He was reluctant to take even that. We share a comfortable rapport, he's not changed a all. Only, he's become a little more pious these days.
Finally, when governments change, we see so much psychophancy, many in the industry going overboard in
shifting loyalties. But you've managed to maintain a dignified, balanced and politically correct stance. That wouldn't have been easy!
It's again my father's advice. He used to tell me to be a friend to all politicians, but never to identify myself with any party or politician. And I've followed his advice on this too. So whether they are in power or not, we've maintained a cordial relationship. We don't play politics, and they understand that.
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