It’s not often that a film dedicated to the rich theatre tradition of Tamil Nadu of the 1930s, is made. Three years since the idea of making Kaaviya Thalaivan first germinated in director Vasanthabalan’s mind, the movie is now ready for release. So it was a day of nervous excitement for the team, when the audio by AR Rahman was released on Monday. Within hours, the music reached No 1 status on iTunes charts across India, according to Sony Music South’s, Ashok Parwani. Apart from the producers YNot Studios and Radiance Media and director Vasanthabalan, A R Rahman too, seemed excited.
KT stars Siddharth, Prithviraj, Vedhika, Anaika, Nasser, Thambi Ramaiah and a host of actors, and brings alive a slice of the 1930s theatre scene in the State. The music is a key component in bringing to life the narrative, in a way that audiences today can relate to. But judging by the buzz it generated on social media, and the screening of three songs and trailer, Rahman’s genius seems to have hit the jackpot once again. For Rahman too, working with the rich nativity of this bygone era has led to a fulfilling journey. “I’m honoured to have worked with the team of KT. I’ve worked with three generations of filmmakers, having played music for one generation and composed for the other two. Recently, when I met the renowned Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi, he asked me, ‘why are Indian films influenced by Western culture?’ Now, Kaaviya Thalaivan is one film which I’ll surely be happy to show Majidi,” he said.
For hero Siddharth, the film is a dream come true. “I dedicate this album to the late Vaali and Raghuram Master. Vaali spent hours discussing the bygone theatre life in detail with us. Raghuram master choreographed two songs, his last in the industry. We miss them both. This is my fourth film with Rahman. KT is about a period that this generation doesn’t know much about. Showing a young audience an older world through music, was a difficult task. But Rahman’s genius has struck the right chord,” the actor said.
The highlight of the event was an audio – visual presentation of the experiences of five theatre artistes. Later, all five, PC Kalaimani, Nellai Sriram, Anandan, Prasad Rajendran and Tamilarasan, were felicitated by Rahman.