After a long gap, director Padmamagan returns with Netru Indru, a multi starrer which has been in the making for a long time. But now, accorded an A certificate by censors, the movie is ready for release. Starring Richard, Prasanna, Bharani, Harish and Vemal with Nandhagi and Arundhati, the film is a thriller set in deep forests. The promotional pictures of an enticing Arundhati dressed in a long T shirt and shorts have raised curiosity levels.
In a chat, Padmamagan tells CE how professional Arundhati was under trying circumstances.
Talking about the story he says, “The story begins with an encounter of a terrorist who has been hiding in a forest for years. But the police team is in for a shocking revelation. The very officer they sent into the forest to apprehend the gang, became a terrorist himself, after he started sympathising with the group. So now, a special team of five men is sent into the forest to catch the renegade officer dead or alive. The twists and turns happen due to clashes among all these characters and their personal agendas.”
Padmamagan says he had a tough time shooting in the dense Kabini and Achankovil forest range. He says, “We shot in virgin locales, where usually panthers, bison and elephants roam freely. We would reach the forest edge at 7 am and start walking as deep as we could go into the forests. In order to avoid wild animals, I sent a recce team of two men up ahead. They would communicate on a walkie talkie with us, and only after they declared an area ‘clear’ of any animals, we would follow. On reaching that spot, we would start shooting. In the mean time, the recce team would proceed deeper into the forest, to search for a suitable spot for the next scene. Then we would follow. This is how we shot the film for a whole 65 days.”
While the men roughed it out as usual, Arundhati, who was a thorough professional, never backed out, despite the discomfort. Padmamagan says, “She is very sincere. For one shot, she had to be in water for the entire day. As soon as she reached the spot, around 200 kilometres inside the forest, she hurt her foot badly. It was bleeding, but she bravely went on with the shoot till 4 30 pm under the waters. She knew the difficulty we would face if we stopped shoot, since we were miles away from habitation.”
Ask him about Arundhati’s alluring costume of just a sleeveless T shirt and shorts all through, he says, “I auditioned many girls, but finally only Arundhati fit the bill. I told them frankly about this costume which would be there all through the film. I haven’t taken any awkward or embarrassing shots. When you see the film you’ll understand why the costume was needed. Arundhati has performed extraordinarily well in a bold role. Netru Indru will give her the sensational break she deserves.”