Adhik Ravichandran was inconsolable in the days after the release of Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan (AAA). “I didn’t respond to messages or phone calls. I just wanted to be left alone,” he says. This was a steep hall from all the success he had tasted for his previous film, Trisha Illana Nayanthara, which also marked his debut.
“My life changed overnight with that film,” he remembers. The failure of AAA wasn’t for lack of effort, he says. “I tried my best, but I totally understand why people didn’t like it. Now, I’m glad that I have already tasted failure. I have learned a lot more from it than I did with success.”
“Even I didn’t feel the contentment of having shot a satisfying film. You could say I knew on some level that the film wouldn’t be a hit even before its release,” he says. But this doesn’t mean he won’t pair up with the film’s mercurial star, Simbu. In fact, he seems confident he will. “Let’s not get into the blame game. AAA may not have worked, but adhutha padam oda veppen!” He rubbishes rumours that the actor may have played his part in the film not turning out as envisioned.
“Simbu doesn’t go out of his way to mingle with people. They don’t understand that he’s one of the most respectable actors around.” Adhik perhaps bit a more than he could chew when he decided to do a film with someone of the star status as Simbu. “There are risks when you do a film with a star. But it’s all right. Criticism and negativity is a part of this job too,” he tells us.
The actor of his first film, GV Prakash, was a big pillar of support following the crushing feedback that he received for AAA. “Un mela thappu illa, he would keep telling me. He would tell me he had faith in me and said we’d do another film together,” says Adhik.
“Talking to him was my therapy. It felt like drinking glucose. I will never forget the moment when he told me that we could do another film,” says the young director, who pitched a story to GV Prakash in about all of ten days from when they discussed the failure of AAA.
Shrugging off all the negativity around AAA, Adhik is upbeat about his forthcoming film. “Some criticised Trisha Illana Nayanthara too, but most people liked it. This film will be like that too. The songs are going to be chartbusters,” he promises.
The team has already completed shooting the first schedule of the film in Ooty. “Half of this fantasy love story is over. We have shot it entirely in 3D, and Sonia Aggarwal plays an important role too. I have been a big admirer of her from her Kaadhal Kondein days,” he says. As many as four heroines will feature in the film. “They are all actresses who haven’t worked with him before,” he says.
GV Prakash, Adhik points out, has a terrific line-up of films ahead, including Bala’s Naachiyar. If Adhik gets his way, the actor and he will work on at least four other films—that’s how many scripts he has already written for the actor. “He’s a fantastic actor, who grasps things quickly. Ellathukkum mela, avar en deiva machchan!”