‘Wearing pavadai thavani was exciting’
AFTER a successful debut in Prakash Raj’s Inidhu Inidhu two years ago, Reshmi is back with Theneer Viduthi.
She chanced upon the lead role in Inidhu Inidhu when she accompanied her friend to the auditions.
Reshmi was still a student pursuing her Visual Communication at Women’s Christian College, Chennai, in 2008. “I loved the media so I took up the course. But the acting offer came as a surprise and it was a great debut to make. I’ve watched movies in which KV Guhan sir has worked as a cinematographer and he’s great,” reveals Reshmi. She adds that she had to bunk classes in WCC to play the role of Madhu, a college student, in Inidhu Inidhu.
Reshmi played the role that Tamannah essayed in Happy Days. So were there comparisons? “When the movie happened, I was aware that people would definitely compare me with Tamannah. But many people said that I had done justice to the role. The greatest compliment came from director of Happy Days. He said that he forgot Tamannah and could only see me,” says an ecstatic Reshmi.
Director Kumaran spotted Reshmi on watching the film. “He asked me to come in traditional wear as he was going to handle a village subject. I felt that this romantic comedy film would reach to a new set of audience after Inidhu Inidhu,” says Reshmi. It meant donning traditional wear like pavadai thavani and having a different acting attitude. “I play a bubbly and talkative girl in the film unlike Madhu of Inidhu Inidhu,” she reveals. On pairing up with Inidhu Indhu co-star Aadith, she says, “People don’t recognise us in the film, which is a good change for the two of us.” Reshmi adds that the movie has been receiving mixed responses. She also has more roles in the offing. “Some Telugu offers came in when I was in college. But I wanted to complete my studies. Now that’s done, I’m looking forward to doing more,” she says.
The multi-talented Kumaran
Though being a student of cinematography of Film Institute, Chennai, director SS Kumaran still nurtured his dreams of turning a director-cummusic director. “I spent most of the time near Prasad Studios listening to Raja (Ilayaraja) sir’s recordings,” recalls music director Kumaran, who wielded the microphone in Theneer Viduthi.
His foray into Kollywood happened 15 years later, with director Sasi giving him a break as a music director in Poo.
“The music that is created usually blends with the storyline. Poo was an extremely emotional love story set in a rural setting.
It was nostalgic as the situations narrated by the director brought back memories from my childhood spent in Valliyur (Tirunelveli district),” says Kumaran. His next film Kalavani saw him bring in some novelty in composing as only one song was full-length (Chinna Chinna Thooral). “A movie need not necessarily comprise five or more fulllength songs. For instance, in Theneer Viduthi, there are only three songs because it was not meant to be a music director’s movie,” he adds.
Talking about the film, he explains the title. “Theneer Viduthi (tea stall) is the first shop to open and the last one to end its operations.
It remains a meeting point for different kinds of people, hot debates, friendships and so on. In the film, the tea stall marks the beginning of the hero’s love,” reveals Kumaran.
With Theneer Viduthi, he has also turned into a producer and a playback singer and also released it in theatres across Tamil Nadu.
About the lead characters he says Aadith and Reshmi share a great chemistry.
Next in the pipeline is Kerala Naatilam Pengaludane.
“It is an out-and-out comedy film and will star nine heroines. The hero of the film is from Kerala and is in search of a suitable bride,” says Kumaran.
Aadith tries a makeover with Theneer Viduthi
AADITH turns energetic as he talks about the transition he made from theatre to moives. He is basically from Coimbatore but was brought up entirely in Chennai. By the time he auditioned for Inidhu Inidhu, actor Aadith had acted quite a bit in short films and in theatre. “I have worked with a lot of noted personalities from the Chennai theatre world.
Between films and theatre, only the medium of acting differs,” he says.
But working on the film gave him an all-round learning experience.
“Apart from acting, the director also allowed me to work on other sections of film production. I even got a chance to sit for a meeting with KV Guhan sir and Prakash Raj sir,” he reveals.
Then he did the Telugu film Katha (2009) with Genelia and was nominated for the Andhra Pradesh State Award. “I found the script alluring and did it for the whole working experience,” he adds. Theneer Viduthi happened when I was pretty much stereotyped as a hero who did only teenage love stories after Inidhu Inidhu,” he smiles.
Though initially sceptical about the movie, Aadith felt that the script was perfect.
“The director (SS Kumaran) had a confidence that radiated. In the film, I play Pandhal Kumaran who hails from Theni. I needed to look a little older than my original age,” reveals Aadith. He has dubbed for the film and adds that he has worked hard to perfect the Tamil spoken in the area. “My stint in theatre came in handy,” he says.
On his co-star Reshmi, he says, “Reshmi and I have known each other since Inidhu Inidhu. The shooting for Theneer Viduthi was quite difficult and working with Reshmi definitely made it easier,” he says. On his future projects, Aadith is gearing up for a movie to be directed by Aneesh, actor Nasser’s assistant and a few others.