Malayalam director Thulasidas, who has worked with the likes of Mohanlal and Mammootty, is back to Kollywood with Tamil-Malayalam bilingual Thiraikku Varatha Kathai (Girls in Malayalam), an all-woman subject, starring Nadia, Ineya, Kovai Sarala, Eden Kuriakose, Aarthi and others in pivotal roles. He had earlier directed Veetai Paar Naatai Paar in 1994.
The filmmaker tells City Express, “I know big projects like Kashmora and Kodi (starring Dhanush and Trisha) are getting released along with my film for Diwali, but I am confident that the audience will accept my product as well.” Thiraikku... is based on a group of students from a film institute, who go on a tour as a part of an academic assignment.
He adds that it was challenging to manage the women on the sets. “After shooting for nearly 50 days, I realised that handling 100 men is relatively easier than managing 10 women actors,” he laughs. “Before starting the film, I had a meeting with the cast and told them that nobody is the main heroine; everyone is equally important.”
Thulasidas says that it was difficult to please the actors in hair and make-up. Grinning he adds, “Though as a team, we did a good job, there were confusions and complaints. For instance, a couple of them would be in a similar hair-do, wearing same coloured dress. Till the last moment, I was tense because I had to communicate the same instructions to all without hurting anybody.”
The director was in awe of Nadia, who plays a cop in the film. “I was keen on getting her on board and she agreed to do the role after reading the storyline. She’s a complete professional and the present crop of actors can learn a lot from her,”
he beams.
Quiz him about the rumours that the Censor Board officials were unhappy with a few intimate lesbian romance sequences, he clarifies, “This is perhaps a fresh concept in Tamil cinema. I have not ‘glorified’ lesbian relationships; only a part of the film throws light on it. I have only showed that such relationships are against our culture. The story is partially a murder-mystery.”
Thulasidas’ script was inspired by a TV programme in Malayalam. “My film is given U/A because it has some horror elements in it. In fact, whoever saw the film appreciated me for having dealt with such a ‘sensitive’ idea.”
Thulasidas rues that people are judging the film even before watching it. “Initially, when I approached few leading ladies they asked me, ‘Who’s the male lead?’. Why shouldn’t we attempt a different concept? As a storyteller, I know my responsibilities and I have neither targeted any particular community nor offended anyone’s sentiments,” he says.