Devotional and mythology-related subjects have taken a backseat with the back-to-back releases of horror and thriller films. Director Chandra Kannaiyan, former Programme Executive of Doordarshan, intends to reverse this trend with his film titled Merku Mogappair Sri Kanaka Durga.
Starring child artiste-turned-star Divya Nagesh of Arundhati (2009) fame in the lead— the story, with the famous West Mogappair temple as the backdrop, is said to be based on real-life incidents.
Kannaiyan tells CE, “A man, who has a major dosham in his horoscope, goes ahead with the marriage. But soon his happiness and expectations are shattered by unpleasant incidents in the family. I’ve included a parallel track that involves a spirit! The narratives that come together during the climax to add meaning to the story.”
He has worked as an assistant director in a few Sivaji Ganesan films, besides shooting ad films. “But this is the first time I am directing a film. We shot for about 40 days in and around VGP, Kodaikanal and Chennai. We are done with the shoot and the movie is expected to be released by end of this month,” he adds.
The director elaborates that “Kanaka Durga temple is quite famous among Chennaiites and the deity is extremely powerful. “Kanaka Durga is capable of awakening the desire for higher values rather than mere materialistic desires. The goddess has in fact blessed the lives of devotees and granted them salvation.”
With music by Deva, producer E Jayapal Swamy has written the story, screenplay, lyrics and dialogues. The film also features Magi, Saravanan and Janvika. Chandra Kannaiyan has penned a book titled How a Film is Produced in Tamil, which was released a few years ago.