Director Era Saravanan, whose debut film Kaththukutti is all set to hit screens soon, began his career as a journalist and rose to the position of an editor before choosing to change professions. Hailing from a family of farm labourers in Pattukottai, Saravanan says his family is his biggest support system.
“Despite many hardships, my family backed me to the hilt. I managed to enrol for a degree in Physics in Pudukottai,” he narrates. It was during his final year, that he was offered an internship in Junior Vikatan. “Soon, I got a job there as a reporter, and worked in Junior Vikatan for almost 11 years. At one point, I was made the editor of one of the group’s publications. I served as an editor for two years before deciding to quit and make a movie.”
Taking inspiration from his roots, Saravanan’s first idea was to showcase the difficulties of farmers. “My family members, though exceptional farm hands, have had to work on another man’s field to eke out a living. So, I am very much aware of the difficulties and travails that farmers and their families in the region face. That’s why I wanted to make a film that would touch upon the difficulties they face, but as a full-fledged comedy. My film will be a complete entertainer and not attempt to preach. At the same time, it will highlight the plight of farmers in the region. My film is a reflection of what happens in the Thanjavur belt even today,” he clarifies.
The comic caper has Narain and Srushti Dange in the lead, with comedian Suri playing a significant role. “My entire cast has been very supportive. Be it Narain or Srushti, both of them were very accommodative. Suri was, in fact, fantastic. He went out of his way and gave us 32 days,” he says.
It’s rather a bold choice to cast Narain to play the lead in a comedy film, especially considering that Narain has played only serious roles in all his Tamil films. Saravanan smiles and says, “Narain is a gifted actor and one who loves cinema immensely. Interestingly, he has a terrific sense of humour too. Yes, he did find comedy scenes difficult, but within a few days, he proved to be terrific. In fact, after watching him in the film, you’d be hardpressed not to ask why he wasn’t offered such roles earlier,” he says.
More often than not, girls from rural Tamil Nadu are portrayed as unattractive. Saravanan says this befuddles him, and that’s why “I cast Srushti. She fits the bill and has done exceptional work in the film”.
Why the name, Kaththukutti for his film? “A person who is entrusted a task about which he has no knowledge or prior experience is called a ‘kaththukutti’. My film is about a person who faces a similar challenge,” he explains.