At 26 years, he’s one of the youngest directors in K Town, who has achieved the unusual task of landing a debut film with Fox Star and AR Murugadoss productions. Armed with an impressive script and the courage of conviction garnered from five years as assistant director to Shankar, Atlee is now ready with Raja Rani. In a chat with CE, he talks about the film and more.
Raja Rani’s trailer had 10 lakh hits on YouTube in four days while the Hey Baby song is topping on radio waves. Not only has he put together a stellar and unusual cast of Arya, Nayanthara, Jai and Nazariya, his posters have also piqued viewers curiosity.
Ask him about where he got the confidence to pull it off and Atlee says, “I assisted Shankar in Endhiran for three years and was first assistant director in Nanban for two years. The experience I gained working with a team of eminent personalities like Rajnikanth sir, Aishwarya Rai, Rahman, Vijay and others, gave me the confidence to direct Raja Rani.”
Raja Rani deals with romance, divorce and finding love again. About his inspirations, this former Viscom student of Satyabhama University says, “Around me, I saw people falling in love, but divorcing soon after marriage. The main reason is the lack of understanding between each other. I had many scripts but thought this topic is something people can universally relate to. I wanted to convey a message in a thoroughly entertaining manner, without preaching.”
Atlee has given Nayanthara a completely different look which is being lauded. “Nayan and I spent several months during pre-production, going over reference material in detail with the costume designer, hair stylist and make-up man, to design her various looks,” he says.
About the future, Atlee says, “I want to make films like those of Shankar’s, which are entertainers with a positive message. I want to make films which peek ‘inside the life’ of people!”