Sasikumar interview: On ‘Tourist Family', Madurai memories and the importance of staying rooted

The Hindu

22-04-2025

Madurai is everything for Sasikumar. It's where he watched his first Tamil film and it's where his family and friends live.
Pudhu Thamaraipatti, his native village near Madurai, is the place he is most comfortable at. There, Sasikumar is not identified as the Subramanaipuramhit filmmaker. He is not the actor who, after successful outings in the last few years, has a busy 2025 ahead, with films like Tourist Family and an untitled film with Sathyaraj and Bharath lined up.
There, he is just Sasikumar, the man who belongs to Pudhu Thamaraipatti.
Sasikumar lives in the village even today, far away from Chennai's Vadapalani, where most film industry action happens. 'Why should I miss my village, friends and family for the sake of my film career? The plan was to settle here after I got old and was done with cinema. I'm happy I'm able to do that now itself, thanks to technological advancements closer home. There are dubbing studios in Madurai and script discussions can also happen there. Plus, a drive to Chennai is just a few hours away if I'm needed in person,' he says.
Tourist Family is up on his roster soon. Releasing on May 1, the film, directed by Abishan Jeevinth and starring Simran as the female lead, is a family entertainer with a healthy dose of comedy. Among its highlights are the characters speaking Sri Lankan Tamil, a rarity in Tamil cinema. For Sasikumar, considered a brand ambassador for Madurai slang, it was a beautiful change. 'It (Sri Lankan Tamil) rolls off beautifully. It is pure. We had a Sri Lankan lady who coached us on sets so that we are spot on.'
Based on the trailer, Tourist Family will bring back the good old warmth of a family drama, a genre that Tamil cinema seems to have forgotten in the midst of its exploration of violence and romance. With Kudumbasthanhitting screens earlier this year and Tourist Family and Siddharth-Sarath Kumar's 3BHK slotted for release, the year 2025 could well mark the comeback on this genre in a big way.
'Cinema has always relied on families coming to the halls. After the initial craze among fans for an actor, it was always the women and family audiences that made a film a box-office success. Tourist Family will have a lot of comedy and revolve around families. I loved the director's narration style and did not have even a single correction from start to finish. Tourist Family will remind audiences about family dramas after a long time, and hopefully, they will support it.'
Cinema dreams
Sasikumar was bitten by the film bug when he was in cClass VII, studying at St Peters School at Kodaikanal. James Vasanthan, who would go on to score music for Subramaniapuram, was one of his teachers back then. 'My teachers used to direct plays. They would be behind the stage and would keep training students. It was all very exciting.'
A young Sasikumar aspired to become something like that. Every weekend, when film screenings were held on campus, he would enquire about the director. He often heard names like Balu Mahendra, K Balachander and Satyajit Ray. 'I remember watching an interview of Balu Mahendra, in which he said, 'A director is like God. He can bring rain whenever he wants to.' Listening to those words, I wanted to become a director, without knowing what that entailed.'
After being an assistant director for a few years, Sasikumar announced his arrival with Subramaniapuram (2008), a film that many say changed the entire paradigm of Tamil cinema. The film is relevant even today, as was proved during the success of its re-release in 2023. 'Even recently, during a shoot at Kovilpatti, a doctor came up to me and spoke about using a ruler in a scene in that film. He explained that there was a difference between a scale and a ruler, and that the latter was in vogue in the Eighties. When people notice such detailing in our work, it makes me very happy.'
Even as he prepares for more work as an actor, Sasikumar also has a script ready for direction. 'It's just a matter of time. It will happen soon,' he promises, 'After all, it was 'director' Sasikumar who discovered 'actor' Sasikumar.' Comments about his acting are varied, but the one common remark is that he 'doesn't look like a hero, rather like a person in our family.' 'That gives me great joy. I have never starred as a superhero, rather as characters that are very much part of the audience. Even when my film flops, people come up to me and tell me, 'You should succeed in your next film atleast sir. If you win, it's like we have won.' To hear that is a huge blessing.'