'Adho Andha Paravai Pola' director KR Vinoth all praise for actress Amala Paul

“It’s not easy to find a producer for a female-centric film, especially one that’s set in a forest,” says a smiling Vinoth as we sit down to discuss his upcoming film.
Amala Paul in Adho Andha Paravai Pola.
Amala Paul in Adho Andha Paravai Pola.

The enthusiasm of a debutant director is evident when director KR Vinoth speaks about his film, Adho Andha Paravai Pola (AAPP). Vinoth, who has worked as an associate director for Tamizhuku En Ondrai Azhuthavum and previously assisted director G Kicha (who directed Bhavani IPS), says he’s glad about getting everything he aspired for a perfect film.

“It’s not easy to find a producer for a female-centric film, especially one that’s set in a forest,” says a smiling Vinoth as we sit down to discuss his upcoming film.

“In a nutshell, AAPP is about how a woman should be. At its heart, the film talks about how, when faced with a challenging situation, one shouldn’t fall victim but summon the courage to swim through it. AAPP is about how a young female entrepreneur finds her way after getting lost in a forest,” he says.

Vinoth adds that the title, Adho Andha Paravai Pola, inspired from the cult song of MGR’s Aayirathil Oruvan penned by Kannadasan, signifies the essence of the film. “We thought of a lot of titles and it was executive producer’s idea to go ahead with AAPP. The original song repeatedly talks about hope and that’s what AAPP is about.”

Director KR Vinoth
Director KR Vinoth

AAPP’s story is by Arun Rajagopalan and the challenges of shooting what’s on paper was something that quite daunted Vinoth. “It was one of the first things I told Amala Paul when we sat down for discussion. For example, in one particular scene, she needed to get down a 60 ft tree without a body double — and she did. There are a lot of such risky scenes and after Amala Paul listened to the script, she instantly agreed to doing it all on her own. What many don’t know is that she’s an adventure enthusiast and has done a lot of trekking,” he says. Amala Paul also apparently showed great involvement in her hair styling and costume selection. “She took on the challenge of working on such a film and put forth ideas on how her character could be etched. She’ll be seen in the same costume for much of this film. Actors like to show themselves in as much an attractive light as possible but she didn’t mind that at all. Her character falls down at a point and leaves a facial scar. Amala Paul had no qualms about these scenes,” says Vinoth, who adds the actor had no airs about working with a debutant.

“She respects the profession. She knows her position in the industry and is ready to strive hard to maintain it. To get some action sequences in one shot, we had to go for multiple takes but not once did she complain.”

The film has been extensively shot in the lush jungles of the Western Ghats in Wayanad and Kerala. “We shot in the interiors, about two kilometres past the inhabitable region. We could only shoot from the morning, so we had to go in before sunrise, and we had to wrap up by 4:30. We’d come out only for lunch and sometimes even that would get delivered inside. Comforts like a caravan, were not possible. We would hear the sounds of wild animals and used small crackers in the jungle to make sure they didn’t come visiting (smiles),” he says.

Samir Kochhar, the popular host of Indian Premier League, is making his Tamil debut with this film. “We wanted a fresh face who could also perform well. We explored options and felt he was apt. He himself has dubbed for his portions. There’s also Ashish Vidyarthi sir and though there’s no denying the amazing films he has done so far, I’m confident that AAPP will be an important film in his career.”

Shooting is over now, and the postproduction work is on in full swing. “We’re currently working on the teaser and trailer, and the film is expected to hit the screens by the end of this year, or by the first week of January.”

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com