Manikandan, who was last seen in the critically acclaimed Lover, is teaming up with Nakkalites-fame Rajeshwar Kalisamy for his next. The upcoming film has been titled Kudumbasthan. Rajeshwar reveals that he initially wanted to make an adventure film. “We started brainstorming on that line, then we thought, what greater adventure than that of a family man’s? Also, there are several adventure films about getting stuck in forest or mountains, we wanted to do something different,” he says.
On the thematic core of the film, the director elaborates, “Kudumbasthan will deal with themes similar to the one’s director V Sekhar’s films did in the 90s. However, the screenplay will not take a serious approach. My film will be high on humour because every struggle a family man goes through is accompanied by comedy. I would define Kudumbasthan as V Sekhar meets Edgar Wright.”
Given that his YouTube channel Nakkalites has a considerable amount of fans from a younger demographic, we asked Rajeshwar if Kudumbasthan is only for kudumbams (families), he responds, “Kudumbasthan is about how a newly-married man grapples with the responsibilities that the married life accompanies. A newly married man will be a youngster so it will resonate with the youngsters too. Also, those who are below 25 and not married yet can still enjoy the film. Replacing girlfriend in the place of wife in the equation will still make the film relatable and entertaining.”
When asked how well he is prepared to counter the criticisms against films based on emotional themes or family values, he says, “According to me, no art is cringeworthy for its subject, but for its visual language and the way it is conveyed. I will make sure the presentation isn’t dated.
That was how I found success with my webseries Ammuchi among the Gen-Z audience. So, Kudumbasthan will be fresh on the presentation front.” Rajeshwar said that he had pitched the story to Manikandan even before Good Night began and the shoot commenced parallel to Lover.
On whether Kudumbasthan required a rewrite to make use of some of Manikandan’s quirks that worked big time in Vinayak Chandrasekaran’s film, which is also a comedy family drama, he answers with both a yes and a no, adding, “There were rewrites within the sensibilities of Kudumbasthan, and we also had time for that as Manikandan was also working on Lover.
Whereas, the world of Good Night is totally different. My film is set in Coimbatore, in a tier-two town like Singanallur. So the thought process and writing needed to suit that geography, and it had to be different.”
The film also stars actor Saanve Megghana as the female lead and Guru Somasundaram in a prominent role. Backed by S Vinothkumar’s Cinemaakaran banner, the film’s technical team consists of cinematographer Sujith Subramaniam, editor Kannan Balu, and composer Vaisagh Baburaj. The makers are yet to reveal the film’s release date.