SHE comes across as a warm, confident and charming young lady as she greets you. No airs of being the Superstar’s daughter or the wife of a leading hero surround Aishwarya Dhanush. But these names do add to the pressure of living upto expectations with her foray into cinema.Being associate director to the maverick brother-in-law Selvaraghavan in his magnum opus 'Ayirathil Oruvan,' is both a rare honour and a tremendous responsibility. But Aishwarya seems to be coping with it with fervour, her passion for her craft seeing her through.
A passion for storytelling
So what made her take this step into cinema? “I have worked as assistant director to Suresh Krishna in 'Baba,'” smiles Aishwarya.
“I love narrating and writing scripts. I have grown up hearing story discussions at home. The script narration is the movie in its rawest form, sans music or any frills. For three hours you have to capture the attention of an actor with your story. It’s very tedious unless you have a flair for it.”
Long years spent narrating stories to her sister Soundarya and later to husband Dhanush kept her interest in scripting alive. Dhanush felt that she had a great script sense and helped write her first full length script. “It was Dhanush who encouraged me to go out and work on it. But I felt I was not yet equipped to take on direction full time. It was when Selvaraghavan was directing the second schedule of 'Ayirathil Oruvan' in Rajasthan that he took me on as his associate,” recounts Aishwarya.
Selva, the guru
What was Selvaraghavan’s reaction to her request? “He was most surprised since he knew me only as a homemaker. But he was very happy and he treats me like his daughter on the sets. He is my guru and taught me how to be disciplined, authoritative and confident. The entire unit with cameraman Ramji and editor Kola Bhasker encourage me by teaching me the nuances of the craft. I am very lucky to work with the best,” says Aishwarya. “They know I have to live upto great expectations and support me in every way.”
Aishwarya doesn’t reveal anything about the project but tells us, “'Ayirathil Oruvan' is going to be something extremely new for Tamil cinema. It’s a totally different genre. Selva has paved a very beautiful way for directors to think more creatively and boldly in the future.”
She recounts an incident when she went late on the sets. “On the director’s instructions, the entire unit did not interact with me that day! I was perturbed. Then Selva explained, ‘You need to gain respect of people by setting an example through your work and discipline and not by your family name’. His way of teaching me that life lesson itself has made it memorable.” remembers Aishwarya.
About working with Selva she says, “I have to check the background in the monitor and oversee other work along with a team of two associates and five assistants. The responsibility is tremendous because it’s such a big project and the director trusts that you will do your job well,” says Aishwarya.
“Selva is very strict at work and doesn’t compromise at all. I cannot relax just because I am a relative or a woman! It’s very hectic but also a great pleasure. Today I have become more confident and gained tremendous exposure and work experience. I am very lucky to have such great men in my life, right from my father, my husband, my brother-in-law and my son Yatra !” she laughs.Her next plan is to direct her first film in 2009 with her ready script.
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