Back to his base
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Ahmed makes a bow as director with Vaamanan
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Entertainer in the making Ahmed with Jai on the sets of Vaamanan
The title Vaamanan makes the premise guessable to a certain extent. Laughs director I. Ahmed, “Yeah, I’m trying to say that you can’t judge a fellow by his appearance. Vaamanan is the story of an aspiring hero who becomes one in real life. Script is the mainstay of Vaamanan. My aim is to make plausible commercial films.”
Cinema has always been Ahmed’s dream. “After a stint under director Kadhir I left for Singapore. I’ve done about 70 shorts, besides music videos and other projects for the Tamil channel, Vasantham Central, and Singapore’s Media Development Authority.”
But once he realised that he wasn’t exactly on the route he originally intended to take, he returned to his base to direct a film. The result is the soon-to-be released Vaamanan.
“Yuvan Shankar Raja and Arvind Krishna are childhood buddies,” smiles Ahmed. One handles the score and the other the camera for Vaamanan. For a first timer, Ahmed has some imposing names backing him. Ravendran’s Dream Valley Corporation, which is making Selvaraghavan’s magnum opus, Aayirathil Oruvan, is the producer of Vaamanan.
Same wavelength
Impressed with Jai in Chennai-600028, Ahmed approached him. “But he was busy shooting for Subramaniapuram. So I had to wait. We are on the same wavelength and so we hit it off really well. Our way of working can best be described as guerrilla filmmaking. Moving on with the work with whatever is available is the mantra, because you have to wrap up shoot within 60 or 65 days and make the most of the time available,” contends Ahmed.
Lakshmi Rai plays a model in the film. “And I wanted a Tamil-speaking heroine, so we zeroed in on Priya. She lives abroad, but Tamil is her tongue,” he says.
“Vaamanan is a thorough entertainer,” he assures and adds, “Don’t underestimate him.”
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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