Filmmaker Suman Kumar, who rose to fame as co-writer of Hindi web series Guns & Gulaabs, Farzi and The Family Man, recently took over directing the Keerthy Suresh-starrer Raghu Thatha. He is now a far cry from the “broke and depressed” Suman who started out as a stand-up comedian in his 30s before turning to writing with famous filmmaking duo Raj & DK. (Also Read: Manoj Bajpayee reveals if there will be a crossover between his The Family Man 3 and Shahid Kapoor’s Farzi 2)
“Storytelling has always been my forte,” explains Suman in an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times. “Making strangers laugh is one of the hardest things in the world. But in 2015, when I was broke and depressed, I thought why the hell not and went to an open mic in Bengaluru which changed my life. Of course, stand-up comedy took a backseat as I got busy with serials and films,” he adds.
“Keerthy impressed me with her performance”
When Suman wrote his directorial debut Raghu Thatha, he had no one in mind for the lead role – a feminist who writes stories under a male pseudonym. But when Hombale Films (KGF, Kantara, Salaar) picked up the Tamil film, they thought Keerthy would be perfect for the role of Kayalvizhi Pandian, aka Kayal. “The producers knew the film needed a big star for the role and thought of Keerthy,” he says.
But Suman was more than happy to be part of this cast as he really liked Keerthy’s performance in Saani Kaayidham (2022). “Breaking the stereotype of a commercial film heroine and playing the lead role in a revenge drama blew me away. My film is a comedy but I knew she would pull it off well. I didn’t even have to brief her because she prepared well for the role of Kayal,” says the filmmaker.
And now, Suman is gearing up for his second directorial venture – a Kannada film titled Kirik’et 11. “Manojkumar Kalaivanan has written the story and we are currently reworking it. It’s a crime comedy with a fun premise. We will resume shooting soon,” he says of the Danish film starring Sait and Naveen Shankar. Apart from that, Suman is also writing stories for a couple of feature films, including an action drama with a woman in the lead role.
He is also looking forward to the third season of The Family Man. “Right now, I am in between schedules for the next season of The Family Man. This time, I am even directing a few episodes. I am looking forward to working with the legendary Manoj Bajpayee and my friends Raj and DK in a very different capacity this season. I am looking forward to the next schedule,” says Suman.
“Writing is not a stepping stone to directing”
But even as Suman juggles between writing and directing, he stresses that they are completely different skills. “Writers are getting more attention because of the OTT boom, but we need more of them than we have. There is a misconception that screenwriting is a literary activity, when in fact it is not. It is an invitation to artists and technicians to come and perform, it is very technical. Most see it as a stepping stone to directing, but writing requires a completely different skill set,” he says.
Suman also believes that with Indian cinema on the rise and gaining global recognition, it’s time writers were paid better and given the respect they deserve. “Put their name on the poster,” he says, echoing the sentiments of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar in the recent Prime Video docuseries Angry Young Men.
“Writers need to be paid more and respected. They are the unsung heroes. We are still in that direction – star first, content second – and that has to change if we want to get better. We can’t keep going just because an actor has free dates without having a proper story in hand,” concludes Suman.
