'I was Emotionally Touched when Kamal Sir Chose me to Direct Thoongavanam'

Even before the excitement triggered by the success of his last film Papanasam dies down comes the news that the Ulaganayagan has already finished shooting his next film.Yes, the shooting of Thoongavanam is over and only a day or two’s patchwork is left. The post-production work is all that remains and that too is on in full swing.

Already, fans are eager to know more about this Kamal Haasan film and when it will release. Needless to say, the tension too is immense but handling it with a cool head is director Rajesh M Selva, the man whom Kamal chose to direct this film.

Rajesh has for long been an AD with the Ulaganayagan in his projects.

Talking exclusively to City Express, Rajesh says, “The most memorable moment for me was when Kamal sir announced to me that I would be directing the film. He loves to play pranks and he did so in this case too. When he wanted to let me know that he had chosen me to direct this film, he created a din and pretended to be angry. He then called me to his room and I thought I had goofed up badly and was going to be fired. However, inside his room, he broke into a smile and told me he wanted me to direct this film. That touched me.”

That the film was shot efficiently in a short period of time is a known fact but how short was it? Is it true that it was done in just 39 days? Says Rajesh, “No, that is not true. Those are just rumours. We did shoot it swiftly but it took many more days than just 39. The film has come out really well.”

The bilingual, which has been titled Cheekati Rajiyam in Telugu, features Trisha and Prakash Raj along with Kamal in the lead. The first schedule of the film was shot in Hyderabad while the second schedule was shot in Chennai and its adjoining areas.

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