People felt my films were becoming repetitive: Vineeth Sreenivasan responds to criticism

Actor-director Vineeth Sreenivasan says it has been 12 years since he last discussed remuneration for a film he directed and produced. Most of his films were produced by friends, who never asked for fees yet ensured he was fairly compensated. In an interview with Manorama Online’s Soul Side, Vineeth opened up about embracing criticism that followed the OTT release of his films over the years and how he has turned those experiences into opportunities while making his new film, ‘Karam’.

“The last time remuneration was even discussed was with ‘Thira’. My friends produced the films I directed, and though I never asked them for any payment, they always gave me a good return. Everything I earned in that way has been invested into ‘Karam’, which is why this project was possible. The first time I received a significant remuneration in my life was for the screenplay I wrote for ‘Oru Vadakkan Selfie’,” Vineeth said.

He candidly acknowledged the criticism his films received following their OTT releases. “People felt my films were becoming repetitive. Some thematic and emotional similarities over the years were noticed. The film I was planning years ago had roles intended for my father and Lal Uncle. We even wondered whether it was possible to do it without them. But we were all so attached to that idea that we decided to try it. It worked in theatres, but I accept the criticism,” Vineeth explained.

‘Karam’ is set to release on the 25th of this month. The film features Noble Thomas in the lead role. Noble is also responsible for the story and screenplay. Speaking about the anticipation surrounding the project, Vineeth said, “We approached ‘Karam’ as if it were our first film. It was originally a story Noble was going to direct. Even after all these years, there were discussions about it. ‘Karam’ helped me deal with criticism and explore a different type of filmmaking. People were telling me to do different types of movies. When we were working on ‘Karam’, that was exactly the thought process. Even when the trailer came out, people were happy to see something new and different happening.”