Ever since Preity Mukhundhan signed up for Blast, an action-heavy film involving martial arts, she quietly began practicing her kicks and punches in her room to perfect her performance on screen. "I was completely immersed in watching karate-based films and trying to recreate the moves in real life. I was also constantly pestering the stunt choreographers because I wanted everything to be perfect," laughs the actor-cum-dancer who plays a key role in the film, which stars Arjun and Abhirami in the lead.
Preity, who has often spoken about how female actors are rarely given enough space to showcase their talent on screen, feels Blast is an important step in the right direction. "It feels amazing to be able to put my work out there through a film where I'm not just a supporting presence but a literally strong character. While I have access to many new-gen scripts, many of these roles barely have any impact on the story. Even when you ask the director for clarity on the character's emotions, they would answer vaguely, saying, 'It's okay...no matter what you do, it won't create much impact'," she elaborates.
In fact, even in the trailer, while we see the action chops of the karate-trained family, there are enough slow-motion shots and hyped visuals to showcase the female stars apart from Arjun who is known for his skills in the craft. Debutant director Subash asserts that it was an intentional choice to make a female-oriented action film. "I had kept in mind to achieve this feat organically. I don't see the role reversal as a big deal. All the three stars have performed in their best way possible. There is no one actor who has usurped any scene or has any weakness. They are equally capable," he says.
Subash, an erstwhile assistant of actor-filmmaker Pradeep Ranganathan, also wanted to break the assumptions on female characters being written as "victims" in an action-driven plot. "Many who saw the poster, assumed that Preity would be a survivor of sexual assault with the parents, played by Arjun and Abhirami, set out to avenge their daughter. We wanted to move away from that. In fact, I asked the stunt choreographers to treat Blast like a Vijay film," says the filmmaker. Echoing the sentiments, Preity adds, "We are used to male stars being 'massified' but to twist that narrative for women needs a lot of conviction, and that was seen in the filmmaker."
In a stunt-heavy film, crafting action sequences with lasting recall value becomes essential, and Subash was keen to ensure that no fight scene felt merely functional or routine. "I wanted every sequence to have an underlying conflict and a unique element. Take, for instance, Sandakozhi (2005), where each fight carried an organic mass moment within it. Similarly, we put considerable effort into giving every action sequence a strong core and narrative significance," he says.
This pursuit of growth and constant learning is something that also drives Preity. Having begun her acting journey in 2024, the actor often pauses to reflect on how far she has come. "More than how others perceive me, I want to evaluate where I stand in my journey towards my goal. Every experience teaches me something. I’m constantly learning and unlearning. I cannot control what others think about me, but I know where I want to go, and I’m moving towards it in my own way. If I start getting influenced by others’ opinions, I’ll end up shaping myself according to what they expect of me,” she says, while also pointing out the unfair pressure often placed on female actors to constantly remain visible and excel in every sphere. "Male stars are not scrutinised or criticised to the same extent. We are constantly expected to look beautiful, remain perfect, and meet impossibly high standards. The expectations placed on us are immense. But at the same time, I understand where it comes from as not everyone gets an opportunity like this, so in a way, the pressure feels understandable," she adds.
Filmmaker Subash too finds himself navigating a different kind of pressure, one that is tied to delivering a strong first impression with Blast. "There was immense pressure to complete the film within a short period of time. But in hindsight, I see it as an advantage because many films are still awaiting release or facing delays," he reveals.
Despite the time constraints, he believes the project gained significant momentum with the addition of composer Ravi Basrur, known for KGF and Salaar, who is making his Tamil debut with the film. “He only comes on board if he genuinely likes a story. When I narrated the script, he remained silent at first, but later accepted it and immediately began brainstorming musical ideas. The scale of the project became much bigger after he joined. The film will have several theatrical highs, thanks to his music,” says Subash.
Much before her rise to fame, Preity had danced her heart out for Sai Abhyankkar's indie song 'Aasa Kooda' (2024) which broke the internet, much like its predecessor 'Katchi Sera'. "I'm happy about his rise in the industry. I don't often get to work with people who are in my age group. I was excited to work with a fellow gen-z member of the cinema industry. Seeing Sai win was like witnessing a friend or a classmate cracking it in the industry. I knew he would become big," she says.
When asked if she saw the discourse about the choice of a light-skinned actor like Kayadu Lohar being part of Sai's latest single, 'Pavazha Malli', Preity says, "Growing up, I have always been surrounded by brown-skinned people. They would tease me for being light-skinned. But after coming into the industry, they would call me 'dusky'. Honestly, I would feel happy if Tamil girls who we saw growing up, are represented in cinema. Even if I want to search for inspiration for a character, it would be hard to find Tamil-speaking actresses. I hope that changes," she opines.
Coming back to Blast, Subash notes that he found it difficult to showcase the actor Arjun that audiences have grown up watching. "Apart from the antagonist roles he has been taking up in recent years, what most of us remember are his ‘mass’ avatars from the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s that still hold immense rewatch value. I wanted to bring that version of Arjun back. In many ways, I wanted this to be his comeback film, and I was extremely conscious about that," he says.
But that doesn't mean Subash is interested in tickling audiences' nostalgic bones by adding references from his popular films. "Working with a prominent composer like Ravi Basrur sir, I didn’t want to dilute the originality of the film by inserting callbacks to old hits. Everyone is cashing in on nostalgia these days, but I consciously stayed away from it. Of course, I did think about it at one point. Adding a BGM from Ezhumalai (2002) or recreating a moment from Giri (2004) would have been an easy theatrical high. But whenever those thoughts came to me, I erased them from my head," signs off Subash.