In what could be termed a fitting tribute to one of Tamil cinema’s greatest filmmakers, a team of students of director-cinematographer-actor Balu Mahendra have joined hands together to make a film titled Azhiyatha Kolangal.
Directed by MR Bharathi, the film features National Award winner Archana and Prakash Raj in the lead. Revathi and Nasser too play important roles. Sources close to the unit of the film said that Archana had agreed to be a part of the project on the condition that it would be dedicated to the great director.
Archana says, “All of us who have made this film are friends. In fact, director Bharathi is my childhood friend and all of us grew up in the presence of Balu Mahendra sir. Deva Sinha, one of the producers of the film, grew up in Balu sir’s arms and Eswari Rao, who was introduced by Balu Mahendra sir, is the other producer of this film.”
She adds that the Tamil film industry had rejected her as a heroine initially. “But it was Balu Mahendra sir who gave me the opportunity, and made me become one of the most well-known and respected actors of Indian cinema. He knew all along that I would go on to become a good artiste,” she says.
So how did the idea for the film come about? “When Balu Mahendra sir was alive, he would keep saying, ‘Even if people contribute little sums, we can make good films’. We knew the seriousness of that statement but for some reason, couldn’t implement it. After his death, that thought haunted us and so we decided to do this film. We miss our guru and want to pay a tribute to him. We can’t make a Balu Mahendra film because he was unique, but we have attempted to follow his footsteps in a bid to bring back good films,” she says.
Sources say that the story of the film revolves around two college friends — a man and a woman — who meet each other after 24 years. What happens during and after the meeting is what the film is about.
Says Archana, “Balu Mahendra sir loved simplicity; he said simple cinema would withstand the test of time. True to his statements, he lived a simple life. Even some of his masterpieces like Moondram Pirai (1982) and Veedu (1988), have simple stories and characters. We have attempted to make a simple film and it is an honest attempt. Azhiyaatha Kolangal is a memorable title because it was his, and that’s why we chose it for the film. We were clear we weren’t going to touch any of his scripts, but would try and follow in his footsteps.”