Director Sundar C has every reason to cheer, with his next film Aranmanai gearing up to hit the screens. After the rollicking hit Theeya Velai Seiyanum Kumar, he’s back with another comedy, but one laced with a large dose of horror. With a large star cast and fun moments creating supernatural effects, Sundar is confident that the movie will draw in family audiences. What’s more, with Aranmanai, he is also returning to acting and will be playing a pivotal role in it. CE caught up with him to find out more about what’s in store for viewers.
“The film has a huge cast of Vinay, Hansika, Andrea, Lakshmi Rai, Santhanam, Manobala, Kovai Sarala, NithinSatya, Saravanan, Kota Sreenivasa Rao and others. I have played Andrea’s brother. The story is about a family that wants to sell its ancestral home. The supernatural elements they discover there in the Aranmanai (palace) lead to some scary moments. But the laughs are aplenty, thanks to the large family and their eccentricities!” grins Sundar. The film has an impressive list of around 28 actors!
Sundar had a tough time finding the right house for the shoot. “Since the story revolves around a big family house, I searched high and low for it. I finally found a giant set created by Mohan Babu in Hyderabad. We spent `2 crore to add to the set and get the final result. The house is the heroine of the film,” he says.
Why did he choose a horror subject this time? Won’t it scare away the ladies and kids that are his staple audience? “Not at all! In fact, I got the idea for the film only because of my family and friends! We often invite close family friends over for dinners. After the meal, the ladies and kids would gather in front of the home theatre and watch horror films! In fact, they would be totally terrified, but continue to remain there with eyes closed! Films like Chandramukhi and Kanchana, which have supernatural elements laced with comedy, were big hits. All this inspired me to make Aranmanai,” he says. It is however ironic when Sundar says he himself is scared of horror movies!
Sundar wants to keep the role of each actor in the movie under wraps for now. “You watch it in the film. All I can reveal is that Santhanam plays a cook and Hansika, a village girl who has supernatural power. Manobala and Kovai Sarala have a few hilarious scenes involving memory loss,” he says.
Sundar assures us that Hansika will be seen in a never-before-seen avatar. “People have mostly seen her glamourous side. In Aranamanai, they will notice her as an actor,” he says.
The music is by Bharadwaj and a grand audio launch is being planned by producer Vision Medias. The movie, which has been shot in Pollachi and Karaikudi, apart from the house in Hyderabad, is set for a June release.