A different dimension
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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A galaxy of veterans adorn `Adaikkalam,' slated for a December release.
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LOOKING AHEAD WITH HOPE AND CONFIDENCE: Bhuvanaraja
The `Adaikkalam' cast sounds very excited about being part of a promising venture. Prashanth plays the lead, with Thyagarajan, Charanya and Uma in supporting roles. "Each has given his best to the film and I'm sure the result will be positive," says the film's optimistic writer and director, A.R.Bhuvanaraja. The project is complete, the release is round the corner and the debut filmmaker is keeping his fingers crossed.
`Adaikkalam' should give the necessary boost to Prashanth's career at this stage. He has taken up a role that calls for some solid performance and he's delivered the goods, you hear. "I narrated two subjects to Prashanth and he liked both. It was then that I told him there was another script that could be gratifying for him as an actor, and Prashanth was keen to listen to it too. `Why didn't you tell me this story first,' he then asked and immediately agreed to do it," recalls Bhuvanaraja, who has worked under the likes of directors Adhiyamaan and `Mugavari' Durai. "You will see a different dimension to Prashanth's acting in `Adaikkalam.' It has a poetic sheen to it and if the trend is accepted, it will be an impetus for makers to traverse healthy pastures," he adds.
The story that revolves around the bonding between a responsible father and his estranged wife, son and daughter warrants a strong cast. "Whom do you have in mind for the father's role," Prashanth asked Bhuvan. "Your dad," was the reply. So delighted was the hero with the script that he gave bulk dates for `Adaikkalam.' Sri Narayana Das, producer of the National award winning film, `Veedu,' is the producer.
From a father's angle
PROMISING VENTURE: Prashanth, Thyagarajan and Uma in `Adaikkalam.'
"I'm very excited about `Adaikkalam," says Thyagarajan, who plays an important part in it. You don't see him on screen often. "If the film has challenging scenes like what I have in `Adaikkalam,' I accept it. I work in other languages too, but the role has to have substance," he says.
"Generally, in every family the father is the giver. But most of the time the entire credit goes to the mother... " continues Bhuvan. Are we on familiar ground? "I know what you mean. `Thavamai Thavamirundhu' and `Em Magan,' also had the father as the pivot, but my line is very different," he smiles.
To be fair to him `Adaikkalam' was begun before these two films. Thus it is a major role for Thyagarajan after a long time. Both he and Prashanth had been worried about the delay of a worthy project.
"I find working with this unit enjoyable. Each has vied to excel the other in performance. We've been working like a family," smiles Charanya, who plays the mother of Prashanth. Uma dons the role of his sister. "She's come out with a splendid performance. Viewers are bound to feel sad that Uma has opted out of films," commends Bhuvan. `Adaikkalam' is Bhuvan's original strain. "My family lives in Canada. But I'm here to make a mark in cinema. My father has been very supportive though given a chance he would love to make me return to Canada. He was the inspiration for my `Adaikkalam,'" he tells you.
Vairamuthu was so taken in by Bhuvan's story that he reduced his remuneration. For a particular song he suggested that he go to his native village for a couple of days, to get the right feel for the lyrics. `"The situation requires the effort,' he had remarked. Hariharan has sung the song," informs Bhuvan. He approached Nalini for a small role. She came and did it but refused to take any payment for it. `"I'm doing it for Bhuvan,' she said," he gratefully remembers. "Radha Ravi's role is another major plus in the film. He's done a great job," he adds.
That Prashanth will not have a pair comes as a bold step away from the norm. "It is a family drama involving parents and their two children, where the heroine can be nothing more than an appendage. So why do we need her at all, I thought. But at no point will you miss the presence of a female lead. So absorbing is the story," assures Bhuvanaraja.
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