Ashwin Kakamanu, who is fast climbing the popularity charts in the Tamil film industry, is betting big on his upcoming film, Zero, which is scheduled to hit screens this Friday.
Ashwin tells City Express, “Zero is a supernatural, romantic thriller. It is unlike anything I have seen so far, in terms of the tone. The movie is about Bala, a social worker who marries a girl named Priya. As soon as they look to settle down in an apartment that his father buys him, they start experiencing some weird stuff. The movie opens with a voice-over which details how this world started. That is connected to the present-day happenings in the lives of these two. How the changes affect this couple is what the film is about.”
Ashwin has been very choosy when it comes to projects. The actor, who played the lead in films like Megha (2014) and Itharku Thaane Aasaipattai Baalakumara (2013), has also been seen playing character roles in films like Mankatha (2011), Biriyani (2013) and Vedalam (2015). What made him choose to be a part of this film?
“I was surprised that someone here had written this (the film’s script). I admired the fact that a guy here had the guts to write something like this and that he found a producer to back him,” he says, adding that Madhav Media produced the film.
“It’s not a film based on heroism, in the sense that it is not going to raise one’s profile as a hero. This film is bound to raise one’s profile as an actor. Obviously, you look for things that move you along, but at the same time, you look for things that are different,” the actor says, and adds that he told the director that these are the kind of movies he would pick as a kid.
“When I saw some of the CG that director Shiv Mohaa had written, I was impressed. I am a movie buff. If you give me a concept-based movie and say you would execute it well, I’m already half there. In short, it was the director’s vision that drew me to this script,” he says.
Ashwin goes on to say he is delighted that director Shiv Mohaa delivered what he promised on making the film. “The director has delivered ten times more than what he promised. When I read the script, I thought it was the base and if they shot it just like that, it would succeed. The director’s making style is rich. The cameraman, editor and production designer, who have CG backgrounds, were the director’s classmates at Loyola, and they worked together to make it really big. There is something soulful about this movie. It is fresh and has something very positive to offer.”
The actor, who has maintained a low profile till now, says that he was always crazy about movies but realised his love for the medium only during his stay in the US. “I did my schooling at Chettinad Vidyasharam, and was a good artist. After school, I didn’t know what to do next. There was this belief that if you drew well, you should take up architecture. So, I joined SRM University to study architecture. I did that for a while and then dropped out. After that, I moved to the United States where I did my BBA. It during my five-year stay there that I realised I was crazy about movies,” says the actor, who will next work on a film titled Thollaikaatchi.
“After Zero, which is very intense, I was looking for something very light-hearted like Itharkku Thaane Aasaipattai Balakumara. That’s when I decided I would do this next. It is a rom-com which is also based on a concept. It’s about how television changes people’s personalities — some for the better, some for the worse. My character is a wannabe hero who believes in astrology. Janani Iyer plays the heroine in this film, which is bound to make you glad,” he smiles.