CHENNAI: Alt Digital Media Entertainment, a subsidiary of Balaji Telefilms, launched its first-ever Tamil web series titled Maya Thirrai in the city recently. A romantic thriller, it has popular faces like Nandha Durairaj and Eden Kuraikose playing lead roles.
“It is an important step for our company. Our intention is to provide the urban masses digital content in Indian languages,” said Nachiket Pantvaidya, CEO, Alt Digital. Talking about the kind of web series they have launched so far in Indian languages, he explained, “We want to put out subjects that do not discriminate based on gender. It has to be equal.”
Kutty Padmini, the producer for the event, said she was thrilled with the outcome. “It’s a dream-come-true for any producer to work with Ekta Kapoor and I believe our team is privileged to have got this opportunity,” she smiled.
The series, which is a mix of romance and thriller, narrates the story of Sandhya (Eden) and Prakash (Nandha), a happily married couple, until she realises that her picture-perfect marriage was just an illusion. The trailer of the series was screened during the event.
What’s the difference between working on films and web series? Kaushik Narasimhan, director of Maya Thirrai, said “In web series, you get a lot of freedom to do what you want…unlike in a movie.”
Nandha, who plays the lead character, spoke about the challenges while playing the role of Prakash. “My character has two shades to it.
At one point, you see me playing a soft and bubbly guy and on the other hand, I am also playing an absent-minded character.”
On the other hand, Eden Kuraikose who plays the leading lady, is on cloud nine after the success of the series. “I am so lucky I got to do such a strong role. I have always wanted to be known as a great artist and not as a top heroine,” she said.
Talking about the launch, Nachiket said that their aim was not only to appeal to the Tamil audience, but also to audiences outside Tamil Nadu and India. “We have been getting a good response so far. We released the series online on May 16 and Chennai is already in the sixth position in terms of viewership.”
The production house is also looking at dubbing all the other web series into Tamil.