The three dots, ellipsis, which are placed at the end of a sentence indicate a continuation, but the same dots are placed in a triangular format to represent the Tamil ‘Aayutha Ezhuthu’. These have a significant meaning in debutant Uday K’s upcoming film Akkenam, which reunites real-life father and daughter, actors Arun Pandian and Keerthi Pandian onscreen. The duo have previously acted together in the Tamil remake of the Malayalam hit Helen, Anbirkiniyal, directed by Gokul.
Decoding the title and its meaning, director Uday explains, “It is the verbal translation of the Tamil Aayutha Ezhuthu. The ‘three dots’ correspond to three important characters and the story that unfolds between them. It is an action-filled revenge thriller drama which will move with a gripping screenplay.”
The revenge element would not just revolve around a single character, Uday notes. “Each character has a motive and how each of their motives affects the other characters in the film and are interlinked with each other forms the basis of the plot.
We have used a non-linear screenplay for the story,” he adds. Uday, who took a thread of inspiration from a woman cab driver’s life whom he met one day, wanted a girl-next-door actor with a relatable face to portray the lead character in Akkenam. Enter: Keerthi Pandian.
“The film is also based on true incidents of crime that are happening across many states,” he says, adding, “When I narrated the story to her father Arun Pandian, he too expressed his interest in the project and joined the cast to play an old man who too is eyeing an act of revenge,” he shares. Arun Pandian also serves as the producer for the film.
Uday K has previously made the short film Yakkai Thiri in 2022 with Dushara Vijayan in the lead which received critical acclaim. Apart from Arun Pandian and Keerthi Pandian, the film also features Adithya Shivpink playing the role of the antagonist. Ramesh Thilak, GM Sundar, Adithya Menon and Seetha play supporting roles.
Not just the director, but even the members of the technical team are debutants who have worked with him in his short film, Uday points out. Akkenam has cinematography by Vignesh Govindarajan, music by Barath Veeraraghavan, lyrics by Chandy, editing by Devathyan and art direction by Raja. Interestingly, the background score and parts of three songs were recorded in Budapest.
“I am confident that our background score in several portions of the film will be widely appreciated,” he says. Additionally, noted Odissi dancer Gangadhar Nayak along with his team danced in songs in the film. With filming and post-production complete, the makers are yet to announce the release date.