In conversation with Punjai Arun

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In conversation with Punjai Arun

“Punjai” Arun is a well known social media influencer, who is an expert on contemporary cinema, known to promote lesser-known works. He doesn’t mince words even at the risk of being trolled by fan armies and is well known for being the first person after the director to know the release date. 


 Thank you so much for your time sir. So in the past we only had movies in theatres and/or on tv. Now we have so much stuff online like streaming sites, in addition to regular movies..More than a person can handle.  How does one deal with so much Choice...( Like analysis paralysis with so many options?)...and how do you stay updated with so many movies/series coming out every day?


  I follow a bunch of critics from popular cinema based sites like rollerstone (Alan Sepinwall is one of my favorites), Variety, Uproxx and few others. They help me find all these interesting shows from OTT platforms.  And few others I watch maybe cos I like one of the actors or the show creators.. if the show is good I continue and spread the word.if not I'll just quit and move on

Sir how do you decide if a show is good/recommendable or not? What brings you back to a series? The story? The direction?  What matters to you most when it comes to series? Who are the actors/ creators you watch across different media? 

 I have to find the basic plot interesting and we should connect and invest in the character's journey.

  Who do you think are the most underrated creators of our time?

 In recent times I watched a show called Warrior on Hotstar which went under the radar (what a shame cos it's an excellent show based on Bruce Lee's writings. This was his dream project and he wanted to make this show back then). I came to know about this show cos I loved the show creator Jonathan Tropper's previous show called Banshee (also streaming on Hotstar) which is one of the greatest action tv show I have seen.
Sir, do you have a specific genre you watch, or do you experiment with genres you aren't into as well?
Oh genre is not an issue for me as long I find the basic premise interesting
Sir, slightly unrelated sir, but in India for example, we have been raised sheltered. Sex in India was flowers touching. Today streaming sites, have brought explicit content (with a story)to mainstream media. How do you think this will affect the upcoming generation given our "culture"?
 I honestly don't know what to say. Please don't mind.
Sir, when you review something, you know you have a huge following that is likely to be influenced by your thoughts. As a non-reviewer, does this come with pressure? Or benefits?
 I just share what I feel. I feel happy when someone says they watched my recommendation and liked it. I just tell them to spread the word. Thassal.

Sir, in this era of online reviewing, why haven't you started your own podcast/ started reviewing for a site/ newspaper?
Because I don't really have that much content. I mostly just say a series/movie is good or bad. I am jealous of people who can make lengthy threads about the movie or a show they watched and how it affected them.
How do you feel when somebody comes back to you saying your taste is trash?
I perfectly understand we all have different tastes. I have been at the receiving end from fans when I am a bit critical of the work of their idol. I mostly ignore and don't engage with them. I am cool with it if my recommendation didn't work for some. We just have different tastes and that's okay
How do you think the present availability of entertainment affects our generation?

Tv shows are a bit long commitment. I think thanks to now plenty of content available, people no longer have the patience. They expect it to be very good right from the get-go which is a bit unfair.   I can say the best example of this is The Office US. The first season was a disaster as they tried to the ape the British version.
From S2 it became its own thing and now the office is considered one of the best comedies of all time and it's also one of the most-watched show on Netflix
You are so empathetic with the show's creators. Given the opportunity would you like to be a part of movie/show creation/ direction/etc?

  I don't think I am that talented, but I would definitely love to be in the same room with them and watch how the whole thing comes together

 Do you think most watched is a better sign of a shows success or is there any other metric? Like Friends was and still is watched, but isn't rated for its content or story.
Most watched means it connected with a lot of people. I guess that's the first aim for any creator. Your work should be enjoyed by a wide audience. The other metrics like the story or content are all just personal preference. They don't have to be mutually exclusive
One thing you hate about present generation directors, that you wish they did differently? Both globally but also specially in the Indian context?

My main complaint is how they still stick to the template and waste the first half with unnecessary things not at all relevant to the main story. The actual story begins like 10 mins before the interval
One thing you are happy is changing?
People are moving beyond the star movies and appreciating interesting small movies thanks to OTT. I am also happy some stars are experimenting what is possible within the commercial format. Asuran and Kaithi are perfect examples for the latter
Some actors still follow the same old formats/ tropes, do you think the market for this still exists?
The stars believe that's what the fans want which is not at all true imo. They're just not ready to come out of their comfort zone. Maybe it's more about the financial decision where they can't command a huge salary on a movie like a star vehicle compared to story-based movies. My wish is they balance both kinds of movies. Make one for the core audience with larger than life themes and another one where they explore the actor in them and surrender completely to the story. Wishful thinking
If you could get a sequel/ prequel/ a series continued - which one would it be?
Pushing Daisies. A wonderful and quirky show which was taken away too soon
 Sir any message to the audience sir?
Just that we all have different tastes and we shouldn't fight over which is better and which is bad. Just have fun watching and spread
the word about underrated stuff. Let's all live and let live

You can follow  Punjai Arun  at https://twitter.com/aruink_
Special thanks to @wallflower_91 and @TheHatmanTweets for making this happen.

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