It’s the title of a movie that has touched the hearts of scores of Tamil people. So, it is only natural that people are curious when there’s an announcement that another movie by the same name is going to be made. Yes, the film we are talking about is Server Sundaram, which is to feature actor Santhanam in the lead.
“As soon as the posters of the film were out, many well wishers called me. They first reminded me that I was using the title of an iconic film of the legend, Nagesh, and only then congratulated me,” says a smiling Anand Balki, who is making his debut as a director with the film in the Tamil film industry.
“My God is Nagesh sir and his family has been close to us. I believe he is a genius who can’t be replaced. I wanted this title for my film and chose to wait for two to three months to get it from AVM studios,” says Anand, who goes on to reveal details of his film.
While the Nagesh-starrer was about a waiter going on to become a star in the film industry, the new Server Sundaram has a completely different plot.
“I am a hotel management student with an interest in films. So, my whole film is going to be on food. To be precise, it is about an aspiring engineer turning out to be a chef,” he says with a smile. “In fact, if you look at Santhanam sir’s image in the posters, you will find him donning an apron, but also with an engineer’s hard hat,” points out Anand, and goes on to disclose that the film will begin from a catering college.
“People think that those in the hotel industry have it easy. They do not know that there are occasions when we work for a stretch of 36-48 hours. There are many things about the hotel industry that I will disclose through this film but with a tinge of humour,” says Anand, who informs that the first half of the film will be a treat for Santhanam’s fans while his characterisation in the next half will be new.
“Santhanam sir, Santhosh Narayanan, who is scoring the music for this film, and I are all foodies ourselves,” he says, pointing out another interesting first about the film. “We’ve appointed as many as 15 chefs on our consultation board for this film, probably something no other film unit has done. We have finished the screenplay and are holding auditions to select the heroine. Shooting is scheduled to begin in the first week of March,” he says.
‘Nagesh a Genius’
Director Anand Balki is a self-proclaimed Nagesh fan. He described the comedian as a genius and added that he waited for 2-3 months to get the title from AVM
Completely Fresh
Though this movie shares the name of the cult classic, the director says the new movie which features Santhanam has a completely new plot
Chefs Turn Advisors
The director also added that 15 chefs were part of the consultation board for the film, for which Santhosh Narayanan is going to set the tunes