While the trend in the industry seems to be to move towards bigger and grander films, director A Krish has chosen to go the other way with his debut film, Zhagaram, which has been made on a budget of Rs 10 lakh. The filmmaker released a seven-minute clip of the film on YouTube with the disclaimer that a 10-lakh budget does not mean that it has to be a short film.
The film is based on a Tamil novel by Kava Kamz that Krish happened to read while travelling on a train. “It was sheer luck that I picked up this book to read. I found it had enough material for a two-hour entertainer,” he says.
His first task, once he’d decided to make the film, was to convince actor Nanda. “He was floored by the script and agreed to do it on a profit-sharing basis. Once he came on board, it was relatively simple to find the supporting actors and technicians.
Eden Kuriakose, with two films behind her, plays the female lead,” he says, adding that the biggest win for him was getting music director Dharan of Poda Podi fame on board.Calling it a travel movie taking off from Chennai and winding up in Thanjavur, Krish says the success of Zhagaram hinges on the response from the youth.