GNR Kumaravelan, who has Ninaithale Inikkum (2009), Yuvan Yuvathi (2012) and the critically-acclaimed Haridas (2013) to his credit, is back with Wagah, starring Vikram Prabhu and Ranya Rao. The film is a love story of a BSF jawan and a Kashmiri girl.
On doing films that are not conventional, he has a balanced view and says no one forced him to do aparticular kind of film. “My last film was about a father and his autistic son. I was clear that I wanted to do something new. Set against a military background, we've captured the romance between the lead pair, amid all tension in the sensitive border region. I thought Vikram would be suitable for the role because of his physique. For the first time, he's attempting a character like this. After Kumki (2012), Wagah will be his most-talked about film. I am sure the audience will appreciate him,” he shares.
The filmmaker reverals that they had a challenging time shooting in real locations along the borders of Kashmir. “We had to shoot in extreme climatic conditions. We had to climb the mountains with the team carrying our equipment in -15 degrees and shot in hot weather as well. The pleasant locales of Kullu-Manali were added advantage. There was a lot of paper work involved as we had to seek permission from the concerned authorities. We somehow managed to complete the whole film in 69 days,” he adds.
The film is a result of two years of research. “I needed to get the detailing right. For instance, I took nearly a year to ensure that all the facts, which we had covered in the film, were right. Before we took the crew to Kashmir, a few of us, had gone there to experience the situation. We observed everything from the field work the soldiers did to the routine difficulties that they faced. Certain things can't be emoted or expressed. So, I had to bring in all those within the format of a commercial film. In fact, one of my uncles was in the Indian Air Force. I've seen his sense of commitment to defend the country. Those memories gave me goosebumps,” he insists.
He observes that those men don't even know if they will be alive to see the sun the next day. “I salute all the soldiers who guard the borders. It's not primarily a war film, but a love story set against a war backdrop. Kudos to the award-winning art director Lalgudi N Ilayaraja, who did exemplary work.”
Quiz him if Wagah would be on the lines of Mani Ratnam's Roja (1992), he laughs, “I don't think there were many movies in the past, which showed a balanced narration between war scenarios, human emotions and the real struggles. The movie will have delicate, patriotic, encouraging and sweet moments. I'll leave the interpretation up to the audience.”
Kumaravel is all praises for music director Imman and says that he has done a great job . “Since it's a love story, there's a great scope for new sound and fresh music. Vairamuthu has penned a couple of songs in the album. They have come out well,” he smiles.
On the other hand, Vikram Prabhu says he felt proud to have donned the role of a BSF trooper. “I've immense respect towards the country’s armed forces. They don't get time to groom themselves. They cook by themselves and eat whatever they have. Now, having understood what all they sacrifice for our safety, the admiration has just grown manifold,” he says.
Produced by Vijay Bhargavi films, cinematography is by Sathish Kumar of Meaghamann (2014)fame and stunts by Kanal Kannan. Wagah, which has Karunas, Sathyan, Rajendran, Ajay Ratnam and Vidyullekha Raman, will hit the theatres by the second week of this month.