With Balle Vellaiyathevaa all set to release on December 23, City Express has a chat with actor-producer-director Sasikumar. When filmmaker P Solai Prakash, former assistant of Sudha Kongara, narrated the script of Balle Vellaiyathevaa to Sasikumar, he wanted to pursue it.
“That’s because I thought everyone would enjoy it. I haven’t done a full-length comedy genre in a long time. I play Sakthivel, the son of a postmaster (essayed by Rohini). What happens when we both go to a village after a transfer is the rest of the story. With a liberal dose of romance, comedy and action, this will cater to all sections of the audience,” he tells us.
So what character does Kovai Sarala play? “She dons this role called Selfie Kaathayi. Though she’ll be seen in the get-up of a paati throughout the movie, she doesn’t play my grandmother,” he clarifies, and adds, “I am sure everyone is going to love her performance.”
Quiz him about the title and this is what he had to say: “You can’t assume that the filmmakers have targeted one particular community. Balle Vellaiyathevaa has nothing to do with a community. In fact, it’s a dialogue of the legendary Sivaji Ganesan in Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1959) — which goes like ‘Balle Vellaiyathevaa; vetriyodu Thirumbi vaa’. Like PS Veerappa’s ‘Sabaash … seriyana potti’ in Vanjikottai Valiban (1958), this is also one of the famous punch lines.”
The film that was shot in just 50 days revolves around the theme of how technology has influenced the lives of common man to a large extent. “Balle... is my quickest film. Kidaari was shot in 62 days and we shot this one in 50 days without any break in and around Theni. We just took a day’s off on Diwali. It was all done in a single schedule,” he shares.
While the yesteryear actor Ravichandran’s granddaughter Tanya is the leading lady, Sangili Murugan and Balasingh also play pivotal roles. “Tanya is a natural actor. It was easy to train her,” he grins. Sharing that he is more comfortable working with new talent, he explains, “That’s what I have been doing since Subramaniapuram (2008) days. I have introduced many directors, and I believe in encouraging them. It’s easy to strike a rapport and I love to have healthy interaction with them. The director in me will be quiet when I am acting. I’ll suggest things only when I am asked for it,” he smiles.