Ike, who assisted Kamal Haasan and Priyadarshan, has turned a director with the Jiiva-starrer horror comedy Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae. Hailing from a great lineage of actors — his grandfather is ‘Nadigavel’ MR Radha, aunt is Radikaa Sarathkumar, and Radha Ravi is his uncle — naturally, he was inclined towards films. His debut project Sangili Bungili... is releasing soon and he’s busy wrapping up the pending work.
Ike talks about Priyadarshan’s influence on his film. “I assisted him in eight films and have observed the way he works. He writes a script, and then goes with his choice of actors. It’s the same with me. I never thought I’d cast Jiiva until I was done with writing. Priyadarshan’s clear about who is his viewers are and why is he making a film,” he says.
Like Priyadarshan, Ike also wants to “make films that a family can sit together and watch. That way, Sangili Bungili... caters to the child in each of us,” he adds.
Another thing that he has learnt from Priyadarshan is to be a producer’s director. “I didn’t know about Atlee but he supported me a lot. He gave everything I asked for. For instance, when I suggested junior artistes for character roles, he got experienced actors on board,” he shares.
Ike is satisfied with the response he received for the teaser. “Many appreciated me for the look and feel of it. I am sure the film will be technically-sound, and that’s what I learnt from Kamal Haasan — your production values should be high and not look cheap,” he says.
When he started working on the script, the genre ‘horror comedy’ was new to Tamil cinema. “Now, it’s popular, but I believe screenplay will be fresh and different. I wrote the script for a year and shot extensively in Palani,” he says.
Lalgudi Ilayaraja has done the art work for the film and Ike has known him for a long time. “He was assisting Sabu Cyril and I was working for Priyadarshan. When I got the opportunity to assist Kamal sir, I roped him in for Vishwaroopam (2013) to do the art design. Now, he has returned the favour,” he smiles.
Jiiva plays the role of a real estate broker and we learn Soori has been given a makeover. “Jiiva hasn’t tried horror comedy at all. It’s going to be a fresh combination of actors,” he shares.
What does Sangili Bungili... mean? “Many think that I have kept the name of a song as my title. But, it’s the name of a game, which we used to play in my ancestral house as a kid. When you watch the film, you’ll know why I titled the film so,” he elaborates.
More than being a horror comedy, Ike says this film is loosely based on the values of living in a joint family. “I grew up in a joint family with more than 60 people. Now, it has become nuclear. I have touched up on this and how the present generation is losing out on fun,” he says.
Has he shown the film to Priyadarshan? “I will do that soon,” he smiles. “I am working on sound mixing. I'll definitely screen the film for him.”