Any avid Tamil cinema fan would agree it wouldn’t be far-fetched to call Sundar C synonymous with masala cinema. However, the filmmaker surprisingly seems quite wary of using the term ‘masala’ to describe his films — he calls them ‘entertainers’. “When I entered films, I had serious plans about the films I wanted to make. But I realised the kind of films I wanted to make and the films audiences liked were different. So, like Rajinikanth says in Sivaji, “Singa paadhai-ah, poo paadhai-ah?,” I had to choose between making the films I liked and making the films audiences liked. I chose the latter,” he says. And in a career that has now spanned over 30 years, Sundar’s conviction in his route only seems to have strengthened.
In fact, he doesn’t even believe in what people say is the ‘trending’ formula in commercial filmmaking. “They say songs aren’t in vogue, but songs in Kalakalappu, Madha Gaja Raja, and the Aranmanai franchise are all hits. So if a song is good, has nice visuals, and is placed aptly, the audiences will like it.” He points Madha Gaja Raja, which became a blockbuster despite releasing after a 13-year delay, to support his statement. “It’s all about the screenplay. The audience should be excited to know what happens next. Even if they anticipate it, we should package and present that idea interestingly.”
This week, with Mookuthi Amman 2, starring Nayanthara, releasing in theatres, Sundar is entering familiar territory, but one he hadn’t fully explored — the sub-genre of ‘Amman films.’ Though his Aranmanai films have featured the deity, Sundar never aspired to make an Amman film. “Earlier, we made films based on a hero and the availability of his dates. Even now, that’s what happens for top heroes. But I stopped doing that 15-16 years ago. For me, if I get a spark — it can be a film’s opening, the pre-intermission sequence, a character, or anything — and if that spark could be developed into a full-length movie, I go for it.” Mookuthi Amman 2, he says, happened coincidentally. Sundar had been pondering a story that takes place in two different periods, and when producer Ishari K Ganesh approached him with the prospect of a sequel to filmmaker RJ Balaji’s Mookuthi Amman, Sundar knew his idea would fit an Amman story quite well.
Nayanthara in a still from ‘Mookuthi Amman 2’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“Moreover, this isn’t a typical Amman film. It’s more of a fantasy thriller. Usually, an Amman would save a family, a kid, a nation, a woman, and so on. But this is a story where the Amman has to save herself,” he says, which means that the sequel, like its predecessor, will not have the markings of the Amman films of the 80s and 90s we are accustomed to. Sundar throws yet another curveball when he reveals that Mookuthi Amman 2 — like his Aranmanai franchise — is a standalone sequel that, despite the presence of the lead star Nayanthara and veteran actor Urvashi, has no connection to Balaji’s 2020 film. “This is an entirely different film. I wanted to cast Urvashi ma’am because she is one of my favourite artists. I didn’t do it to establish a connection between the two films. In fact, this film could have a different title, but from a business perspective, there’s an advantage to making it a franchise.”
Sundar C on Nayanthara playing the titular goddess
“Nayanthara has that aura to play Amman. She carries her stardom so well. I still remember getting goosebumps when I first saw her in the amman costume.”
Sundar C and Nayanthara on the sets of ‘Mookuthi Amman 2’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Mookuthi Amman 2 is the latest entrant to an all-new wave of Tamil films featuring gods and demi-gods, which started earlier this year with Balaji’s Suriya-starrer Karuppu. Sundar says no filmmaker could guess such a resurgence of the ‘saami padam’ would happen. “I have always observed how many films of a specific genre would release continuously. No filmmaker would plan it. When I started Mookuthi Amman 2, we didn’t know this wave of saami films would happen. Moreover, there’s also a lot of ‘bhakthi’ among people now. Temples are seeing more crowds these days. Even Gen Z kids are more religious now,” he says.
Having dabbled in supernatural themes for over a decade, one wonders whether Sundar has perfected a recipe for making these themes work for audiences — especially when streaming has opened audiences to a plethora of content. “Screenplay, screenplay, screenplay. I would bore you repeating this, but it’s that important. I believe that sentiments and human relationships are the same for any story. Even modern films made by youngsters are based on relationships. So we can’t do too many things differently in a story; it’s all about how we are presenting it. Again, it may not work all the time: I fail too. But if you keep focusing on writing an interesting, engaging screenplay, you might succeed more than you fail,” says Sundar. Moreover, he agrees that filmmakers like him get stuck in an image trap, which narrows the creative space they get to play with. “When audiences come to watch my film, they have a certain expectation about how a Sundar C film should be. And whenever I move away from that expectation, they seem to be disappointed. So we should do something different within that boundary.”
Nayanthara and Sundar C on the sets of ‘Mookuthi Amman 2’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
One thing Sundar seems to have gained from all these experiences is how rapidly digital filmmaking technology is advancing. “Usually, we would first think if an idea on paper could be executed, but now, anything is possible because of how advanced CGI technology has become.” Artificial Intelligence, he adds, is the future. “We started Mookuthi Amman 2 in March last year. We shot CG-heavy scenes first so the technical team gets enough time to work on them. The film is now set to release in November 2026. However, if I start the same film in March 2027, I can deliver the film by November 2027. Everything has gotten much faster because of AI.” He even goes on to wonder what cinema might look like in the near future when generative AI takes over the shooting process. “In Mookuthi Amman 2, there are only 10-odd AI shots. But I wonder if we will even have a shooting process in the near future. I think we would just get actors to sign an agreement allowing filmmakers to use their physical likeness and voice, and generate everything else using AI. So, the future is AI, and all we can think about is how we can use that technology to highlight our films.”
As the conversation nears an end, one naturally hopes Sundar will address the elephant in the room — about why he exited the opportunity to direct Rajinikanth under Kamal Haasan’s banner. “See, it’s actually not that big of a topic to discuss. But the more the people keep asking me this, the more it seems like a big topic. So, I think we should keep it a good secret. If I reveal what happened, they might say, ‘Is that all?’ So, let’s keep it a secret. I will reveal it on an interesting occasion.” For now, Sundar is excited to see the reception for Mookuthi Amman 2, after which he will continue working on the Vishal-starrer Purushan, which he plans to release in January 2027 during Pongal.
Mookuthi Amman 2 is set to release in theatres on November 6
Published – November 03, 2026 05:38 pm IST
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