It’s not often that you come across a Tamil film titled Rangoon. So, you’re naturally intrigued. The director of this film, Rajkumar, and his team have been so tight-lipped about this project until now that nobody had known anything about it, except for the fact that the film features Gautam Karthik (actor Karthik’s son) and Sana Maqbool, a new comer, in the lead roles.
Says Rajkumar with a smile, “My film is about the life experiences and journey of the protagonist, a guy in his mid-20s. I have not adopted a formulaic approach to this film. In other words, I have not made this in a conventional manner. My producers, Fox Star Studios and director AR Murugadoss have seen what I have shot and found it very interesting. They are all really happy that the concept is fresh and interesting.”
The title Rangoon might lead to many assumptions about the storyline, one of which is about the Tamils who migrated there. Is that the crux or theme of the film? “Not exactly,” says Rajkumar. “You will not find it throughout the film but I won’t say it is not there as well. There is a song by Na Muthukumar in the film that gives hope to all people who have travelled far away from their motherland.”
Stating that any youngster watching it will be able to relate, the director says Rangoon is all about giving hope. “We have tried not to convey sorrow but only hope. My film will stress on the fact that no matter how tough your journey is, there is always hope at the end of it,” he adds.
The unit, which did shooting in several places including Chennai, Pondicherry, Rangoon and in several South East Asian countries, wrapped up the shoot of the film on January 7.
“Actually, we had originally planned to wrap up shooting by October 31. However, incessant rains that started from November 1 last year delayed the process. As most portions of the film had to be shot on real locations, I had to wait for the water to drain. So, it took time. Now, we are in the post-production stage,” he explains.
Rajkumar, who has directed reality shows on Vijay TV for many years before joining director AR Murugadoss as his assistant director, says he was inspired to come up with this story by the characters he had met as a child.
“Some of the characters that I found interesting in my childhood inspired me to come up with this plot. However, the stories have been changed to make it more interesting to the audience,” says Rajkumar, and adds that he believes in the realistic portrayal of people’s lives.
Finally, ask him what the film’s message will be and he says, “For anybody, the experiences that they have when they are in the prime of their youth can actually help them in life. If one is smart enough, they will look to benefit from the experiences.”