Dha Dha 87: An unlikely gangster story
Ever since the trailer of Charuhasan-starrer 'Dha Dha 87' dropped, there have been speculations about the film being a spiritual sequel to the 1988 Kamal haasan-starrer, 'Sathya'. A day ahead of the film’s release, debutant director Vijay Sri G, tells us, “We have even added the tagline ‘I am not Sathya’ in the poster. But the hype surrounding the speculations is working well for the film, so I will remain non-committal and say ‘Irukku... aana illa’.”
Dha Dha 87 revolves around a Chennai-based gangster and his methods of imparting justice. “Almost every famous gangster drama in Tamil cinema like Nayagan, Baasha, Thalaiva or Kaala is not set in Chennai. So, I decided to make a film about a dhadha from the city, and I wanted to break the notion of the physicality of a dreaded gangster,” says Vijay, who adds that he has been receiving a lot of praise for his inspired casting choices.
The major highlight in this “100 per cent commercial entertainer” is seeing the usually unassuming Charuhasan in a never-before-seen action avatar. The National Award-winning actor, who was last seen in 2018’s Odu Raja Odu, plays an ageing gangster in the film, which is based on two love stories. While one story revolves around Charuhasan and Keerthy Suresh’s grandmother, Saroja, the other couple is played by Jeni Pallavi and Vijay TV’s Anand Pandi. The cast also includes actors Janagaraj and Bala Singh.
About casting Charuhasan in his debut film, Vijay says, “We wanted someone like Raghuvaran sir, and I felt Charuhasan sir perfectly fit the role, especially his powerful eyes and voice.” The director feels Jeni Pallavi will also receive appreciation from all quarters after this film.
While he is excited about the audience’s reaction for the film, which hits the screens tomorrow, Vijay is already working on two more projects, Peetru, and Brain. The former, a dark comedy, will see actor Amsavardhan making his comeback after 2007’s Piragu.
Talking about the Tamil-Hindi bilingual Brain, Vijay says, “It is too early to talk about the film or its casting choices, but I’m sure the names involved will be as exciting as the one in Dha Dha 87.”