By Aki UEHARA
Fire on Water (2024), a Malaysian Tamil film, was screened at the 19th Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) (March 2024). This is the second film by Sun-J Perumal, who garnered attention with his film “JAGAT” (2015), the first Tamil-language film to win the Best Film Award (as well as the Best New Director Award) at the 28th Malaysia Film Festival.
In this interview, I spoke with the director Sun-J, actresses Rubini Sambanthan and Rupini Krishnan appeared in the film, who were guests at the Film Festival (OAFF) about the transition in the Indian film “industry” in Malaysia, resuming activities after the Covid-19 pandemic, Tamil language in Indian families, and so on.
“Fire” and “Water”, The Thoughts Behind the Title
— Firstly, please tell us about the title “Fire on Water”. Is there any Indian philosophy behind the contrasting words “water” and “fire” in the title?
Sun-J: There’s a deep pull I feel towards the teachings of the sage Sri Ramalingam Adigalar, also revered as Vallalar, the renowned philanthropist. His philosophy rests on two powerful pillars: love and wisdom. This concept resonates deeply with me. Vallalar’s magnum opus, a staggering poem with 1,596 lines, delves extensively into the concept of the divine fire. Intriguingly, he explains how this fire even manifests within water, as the spark of life itself.
The Tamil phrase that particularly captivated me is “Neer Mel Neruppu” – “Fire on Water.” I first encountered it while listening to a discourse, and the sheer musicality of the phrase in Tamil was striking. Beyond the beautiful sound, it sparked my imagination. The inherent contradiction between fire and water, and their coexistence within this expression, felt incredibly powerful. And on a deeper level, it resonated perfectly with the central theme of the film I’m working on.
— What is the most memorable scene for you in this film? And why?
Sun-J: I have a few scenes actually, but maybe I can share two. One is the part where Karthi and Peggy walk in the forest and sit on a platform in the middle of the sea, talking about encountering silence. The second one is when Karthi is drunk and dancing with a bunch of drunkards in the street. The first one is because of the zen feelings while discussing the silence theme, and the second one is because Karthi has to transcend his bleak moments into celebration. After all, what is life without transforming sadness into celebration?
The changing times in the Indian film “industry” as reflected in the director’s semi-autobiographical story.
This film is set in the Malaysian Indian film “industry”. It is a semi-autobiographical film that reflects the director Sun-J’s experiences of working in the television industry for several years, including his own anguish at not being able to express himself freely. As Rubini says, “The situation depicted in this film is quite realistic and close to reality,” and the struggles faced by Tamil filmmakers are also depicted as they are.
— Please describe the background of the Indian film industry, including the trends of the times.
Sun-J: It all started in the 1980s in the television industry. Many of the filmmakers who are now freelancing started their careers in the television industry. Back then, to become a filmmaker, you had to be dependent on a TV station, and I too was part of a production house. I decided to work in the television industry, making dramas and other productions to learn more about the industry. I had the option of working in the Malay film industry or becoming a journalist, however, I wanted to make my own Tamil films with an independent spirit, so I started my own production house in 2011.
From the 1990s to the early 2000s, the Malaysian Indian film industry was controlled by a small group of people. Without them, it was difficult to break into the industry, but suddenly around 2006, the industry opened up and anyone could become a filmmaker. So I was in a generation in-between.
— What happened during 2006?
Sun-J: With the spread of digital cameras, Final Cut Pro (video editing software for professionals) became widely used around 2006, and with the expansion of social media, it became possible for people to produce and post their own videos. “Fire on Water” is set around 2004 to early 2010, so it depicts the analog and digital eras, separated by around the year 2006.
Another turning point in the Malaysian Indian film industry was the inclusion of non-Malay films, such as Tamil and Chinese, in the “Skim Wajib Tayang” (Compulsory Screening Scheme), which was previously only for Malay-language films, enabling Tamil-language films to be screened in major cinemas in the country since 2012. And in recent years, social media has become the new platform for people. TikTok, in particular, has seen some influencers earning significant income.
Rubini: As for Malaysian Indian artists, influencers make much more money. These days, directors and marketers also tend to feature influencers in their films and drama series. They search for talents on social media without spending much money on marketing elsewhere. It’s on social media that everyone is on right now. Influencers, who have a large platform for marketing, are someone who cannot be ignored.
However, it is a great pity that casting is done based on numbers alone, such as the number of followers. Recently, the number of followers on social media is also checked during auditions.
The film as a restart from the pandemic period
— From 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic also stopped the Malaysian film industry for almost 3 years. What year was “Fire on Water” filmed?
Sun-J: The film was shot in 2022. The corona virus was still going on and it was the time the pandemic was coming to an end. Everyone wore masks during the shoot. Actually, the project started before the pandemic, so during the lockdown I stayed at home and concentrated on writing the script.
— I understand that the entire Malaysian film industry was hit by the Covid-19 disaster. How have all the activities, such as film productions, resumed and started to move forward?
Sun-J: The government, through FINAS, has issued a large-scale grant, the Digital Content Grant (DKD), as part of the “PENJANA: National Economic Recovery Plan”. With this support, we were able to produce “Fire on Water”. There were grants available for TV series as well, and the industry as a whole has recovered. Without these financial support, the film industry would have faced even more challenges, and I myself would not have been able to complete this film.
As a doctor and actor,
Rupini KRISHNAN
— Rupini Krishnan, who played the main character’s girlfriend, works as both a doctor and an actor in real life. She is a woman full of vitality, juggling her work schedule of finishing her duty at the hospital, going straight to the shooting location, and then returning to work.
I believe that it was such a tough time especially for the medical frontliners during the pandemic. Could you share your experience with us?
Rupini: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a nationwide shortage of medical practitioners in Malaysia, and as an emergency doctor, I was dispatched to Sarawak for six months to engage in medical activities as well as in various regions in the country. As a full-time doctor, my work was tough as I was always on-call, and it was also mentally tough to face many deaths from the COVID-19.
However, experiencing the pandemic reminded me that nothing is permanent and everything will inevitably change, and it made me realize to be more humble in my own life.
— In Malaysia, where she was busy with her responsibilities as a doctor and experienced a severe lockdown due to a Movement Control Order, shooting of films and other activities were all restricted. “I thought my career as an actress was over. But this film has opened the door to my acting career again, and I am grateful to be able to give it another try from here,” she said of her desire to restart her career as an actress.
The Tamil Language in Malaysia.
Rubini SAMBANTHAN
— For Rubini Sambanthan, who was crowned Miss International Malaysia 2014 and works as a model and actress, this film is her first Tamil-language film appearance, as she has built her career as an actress in Malay drama series and films. She grew up in a family where English was the primary language, and although she was familiar with Tamil, she could not speak it fluently, so she practiced her lines many times before shooting this film.
Rubini: My parents speak very little Tamil at home and I am more accustomed to using English. Since none of my siblings speak Tamil, we speak Malay with my grandmother, who speaks only Tamil and Malay. It sounds a bit weird, but it is quite common for Indian families in Malaysia to not have Tamil as their first language.
Sun-J: When we go to restaurants as a family, people would be surprised that my son speaks Tamil. It is an indication that many children today speak English at home and are not using Tamil.
Rupini: I speak Tamil and I can read. I was self taught to learn to read online when I was in secondary school. My mother also told me to read the newspaper often. There are various dialects of Indian languages, and in my case, I thought I was speaking Tamil, but my mother is a Malayali (Malayalees) and actually speaks a mixture of Tamil and Malayalam.
— So the number of Tamil speakers in daily life is decreasing. Then, why did you cast Rubini, who is not a Tamil speaker, in this Tamil-language film?
Sun-J: I have known her for about 10 years and knew she could do the role. The tone of the story was quiet and I wanted someone to add liveliness and make some jokes. Having Rubini project her own character added depth to this role.
— The director’s trust and expectations towards Rubini are also felt.
About future works
“Fire on Water” is a story of a man chasing a dream but struggling in a harsh reality, so the overall tone of the film is quiet and less bright. However, the director’s poetic depictions, influenced by Eastern philosophies such as Zen, Tao, Tantra, Buddhism, and Hinduism, were strikingly evident throughout the film, and by the end, we could feel a sense of hope.
As for Sun-J’s upcoming film, he has finished shooting his third film and is in the post-production process. It will be a Crime Noir/Road Movie. Also, he has been developing a few other stories which might take place in other countries. So we will be keeping an eye on his future works.
『Fire on Water』
【Trailer】
Director: Sun-J PERUMAL
Casts：
Karnan KANAPATHY
Rubini SAMBANTHAN
Rupini KRISHNAN
Tinesh Sarathi KRISHNAN
Kuben Mahadevan
2024 | Malaysia | 120 min | Languages: Tamil / English / Malay
Special thanks for the interview session: A. Samad Hassan.
Related article: WAU Interview with Sun-J Perumal, the director of the film “JAGAT”.
