CHENNAI: It has taken four-and-half years for Raaghav to see his name appear both as the hero and the music director of the same film. “I would call ‘Nanju Puram’ as an indie (independent) film because we didn’t have any big production house backing us, nor do we have the big names in the film,” says Raaghav. “When director Charles and I decided to make this film, our friends
passed the information to their friends and that is how we got donations ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 2 lakh from over 30 people.”
Why the delay?
“There were so many reasons. We were working on a shoestring budget and we had to compensate the lack of resources with manpower,” he rues. “We took a lot of time for post-production work, because we didn’t want to compromise at any level. Even if the movie looked nice at the first cut, we cut 30 minutes of the film and enhanced the graphics to make it more gripping.”
Raaghav gives credit to producer Ramanarayanan for distributing the film. “When we showed him the film, he loved it. He said he could see a lot of hard work from us. In two weeks, everything happened quickly and smoothly,” he adds.
‘Nanju Puram’ will hit the screens this Friday (April 1) and Raaghav says the story revolves around myths and superstitions about snakes. “‘Nanju Puram’ is a village-based thriller with a solid story. The content is very strong and there are no masalas like dream songs and item numbers,” he explains.
“The hero, a rational guy, comes to this village, which is enveloped by the myths and caste issues. It jeopardizes his love life and what happens towards the end is the story.”
Raaghav is thrilled that that the songs of ‘Nanju Puram’ have already topped the charts. “I thought it would be different if there was a rap song in the backdrop of a village. I’ve used the verses of Paambatti Siddhar for the song. The word, ‘Aadupambae’, is taken from his lyrics,” he says.
But it is just a music video and not included the film, he adds. Would he only play the hero in films? “It’s gratifying to play the lead roles, as you get to interpret them. But I also want to do small-medium films and build value for myself. I’m also ready to play the villain,” says Raaghav.
‘We connected through music’
'Nanju Puram' director Charles and Raaghav have been friends for eight years now. “Preetha, my wife, introduced us. Charles was an assistant director for ‘Jee Boom Baa’, my very first serial on small screen,” says Raaghav. Preetha, who is also the producer of ‘Nanju Puram’, has sung two songs in this film. “Preetha is a very good singer. It’s through music we connected and fell in love,” he adds.
Raaghav had previously composed a song for the Shaam-Sneha starrer, ‘Hey! Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke’.
“Watch the film in theatres, and if you liked the film, recommend it to 10 people. Give us a chance to make good films,” the multi-tasker appeals.
