Actor Vasanth Ravi proved his acting prowess with films like Taramani, a slice-of-life drama, and Rocky, a high-octane actioner. While the actor wanted to do a light-hearted subject after these two films, little did he know that he would fall in love with the script of ASVINS, his upcoming psychological horror film.
“I was initially a bit hesitant to do a horror film right now. I was looking to explore romcoms. But when I read the script of ASVINS, I immediately agreed to be a part of this project because I did not know if I will get something like this anytime soon. I also believe that this will be a one-of-a-kind horror film for Tamil cinema,” says Vasanth.
ASVINS is directed by debutant Tarun Teja, an indie filmmaker based in Germany. The film is adapted from a short film Tarun made during the lockdown. Vasanth reveals that the short film was widely appreciated by many, including those in the film circles. “The short film is very scary and Tarun has skillfully adapted it as a feature film.
There were many moments that I enjoyed during the narration, and I am glad that all of it is well executed,” Varun says, adding that the film was shot in London last year. The actor further reveals that the film revolves around a group of YouTubers who fall victim to a 1500-year-old curse that unleashes evil into the world. He notes that the title refers to the mythological twin gods ASVINS, associated with medicine, health and sciences. “ASVINS is an out-and-out psychological horror film, true to its genre. The film does not have any romance or drama. I am sure it will scare the hell out of us.”
While it was physically challenging doing action sequences in Rocky, Vasanth states that he found it psychologically challenging to play his YouTuber character in ASVINS. “It was very challenging to analyse the character and perform. That too, with limited dialogues, I had to emote through my breathing and express different types of fear. My character was layered and playing it was traumatising. But all this is worthwhile as we have got a good output,” says Vasanth.
The film is backed by Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra (SVCC). Saraswathi Menon, the daughter of director-cinematographer Rajiv Menon will be making her acting debut with ASVINS. The cast of the film also includes Vimala Raman, Muralidaran, Udhaya Deep, and Simran Pareek. Meanwhile, Vasanth will also be seen in the Rajinikanth-starrer Jailer, directed by Nelson.