Naangal is not an independent film, says director Avinash Prakash, when asked, as only in an independent film will a director don multiple hats such as writer, cinematographer, and editor. Avinash says,"I learned all of these skills in film school." Being a graduate of the LV Prasad Film Academy and finishing two courses, editing and sound design, and screenwriting and direction, Avinash stands out as a director with a technically sound film background.
Avinash Prakash’s Naangal, a coming-of-age drama, which he describes as a film with an unfamiliar formula but with familiar emotions. It has been screened at the Rotterdam Film Festival, Mostra Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Jio MAMI Film Festival, and the Bengaluru International Film Festival. Produced by GVS Raju under the Kala Bhavashri Creations Banner, the film is set to release in theatres on April 18. Naangal is set in Ooty, between 1998 to 2000. Avinash says, "This time period was perfect for children to grow up, as there wasn’t a dearth of technology, but there wasn’t also an onslaught of it." While the film is a coming-of-age story where the father is a strict disciplinarian and is tough on his children, the way Avinash wanted the film to look was the contrary. He says, "Childhood is beautiful, but our experiences are not always good, so the goal was to create an interesting visual and emotional contrast." Mithun V, Rithik M, and Nithin D are the child actors who play brothers in the film. On the audition process, Avinash recalls that it was the easiest thing that he did. "The audition was planned for 30 days, and I expected it to run over two months. But the three child actors we selected came for the audition on the first day. All three of them are natives of Ooty. Their performances were beyond perfection," says the director.
On working with music director Ved Shankar Sugavanam, with whom the director has been close friends since school, Avinash says, "Ved Shankar has been a big pillar of support throughout the making of the film." Since Naangal is set in a colonial bungalow in Ooty, Avinash and Ved wanted to construct the score in a European style. Ved organised a seven-hour session with the Firdaus orchestra in order to get 45 minutes of score. Speaking about the soundtrack of the film, Avinash says, "The score in the film was constructed in a way that it wouldn’t overstate a scene, but it was composed so that it would convey the emotions I wanted to convey when characters had no dialogue." When trying to compose the music for the trailer, Avinash and Ved found a solo violinist to play for them. Avinash recounts becoming teary-eyed while listening to the music. On what to expect from the film, the director signs off by saying, "I hope the film inspires the adults in the audience to understand the complex and torrential emotions of their children and the children to understand the sacrifice and efforts made by their parents"
