Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi is an ardent lover of stories. Ask about her favourite thing to do and she would immediately point to listening stories over a cup of coffee. But to be an experienced filmmaker, she learnt that she must also know the right way to narrate them. “After Vanakkam Chennai, I narrated many stories to several producers and actors. I consider it my biggest strength and learning.
There is always a fear that comes along with narrations, but we must push ourselves and keep working on it. That develops your confidence,” she says. But sometimes, it is the script that does all the talking. Enter: Kadhalikka Neramillai. “I approached Nithya Menen first. Jayam Ravi read the script twice. I didn’t even narrate the story, which is surprising because male heroes usually prefer narrations. I was sceptical at first but he said yes,” Kiruthiga shares her excitement.
With Kadhalikka Neramillai, Kiruthiga has crafted a love story that caters to the current generation, a “mature love story” that has more drama than comedy. “We see how sometimes people are intolerant in relationships. In our parents’ generation, they would somehow live with each other despite their differences. Now, we see people going their separate ways if they can’t bridge their gaps. Although times are different, the underlying emotions of love, misunderstandings, possessiveness, heartbreak, and the agony that follows, are all the same.
Only our expectations have changed,” she says. Interestingly, the filmmaker describes her upcoming film as building on the themes of O Kadhal Kanmani, while also being extremely relatable. She adds, “Several women are not just abstaining from marriage, but are also questioning whether to a bring a child into this world. We explore these subjects without being preachy.”
A fresh collaboration, both Jayam Ravi and Nithya Menen work in a corporate company in the film. Kiruthiga was clear that she had set foot firmly in an urban setting for her story.
“We can either clearly make a film for the urban or the rural crowd. I feel like our paths get derailed if we try to make an urban-centric story and then make it appeal to the rural crowd as well,” she says. Sharing more details on the characters, the director says that she envisioned a bold female lead, “When you watch the film, you will know how many barriers she breaks. She knows what she wants.
She would not want to live a life for someone else or confine to the shackles of societal expectations.” It wasn’t just the casting that made headlines, it was also a key detail in the title’s symbol that captured the attention of curious fans. “It could represent a sand lock, DNA, or perhaps a thread symbolising a binding factor,” she teases, leaving a trail of clues for the audience to interpret. “It’s a film that viewers of all ages can enjoy, but it doesn’t need to be overanalysed,” Krithiga remarks, addressing the social media discussions.
“Nowadays, everything is criticised, with audiences fiercely holding on to personal preferences about what they like or dislike. It often spirals into bitter disputes, putting creators in a constant defensive mode, unable to express freely and authentically,” she explains. “This cycle of second-guessing—‘Should we say this?’ or ‘Will we be trolled for this opinion?’—becomes exhausting. We shouldn’t have to overthink so much.”
Coming back to Kadhalikka Neramillai, the film also marks Kiruthiga’s maiden collaboration with AR Rahman. She feels elated that the eminent composer agreed to score music for her film despite his busy schedule. “Since this was a romantic film and had a lot of scope to explore various emotions that resemble the highs and lows of a relationship, be it a breakup song, a groovy number at a pub or a travel song, it convinced him,” she says.
Once a hotbed of romantic stories, Tamil cinema has slowly shifted gears to films focusing on action-driven plots. Highlighting the same, she says, “Even if there are love stories, they somehow take a dark turn and become toxic. Even Mani Ratnam and Gautham Vasudev Menon have gone on to make action films.”
Despite being confident in her story and filmmaking, Kiruthiga still feels nervous about bringing the film to the theatres. She says, “We don’t know what the audiences like. It feels akin to gambling. Sometimes good films tank badly and at other times, average films become blockbusters.”
As closing thoughts, Kiruthiga says that Kadhalikka Neramillai will “brush your face like a gentle breeze” while holding questions about the lead characters’ relationship till the curtains close. “We have not even picked up a butter knife in this film,” she laughs, playfully hinting at the lack of action or violence in the film. “And you will definitely not leave theatres with a heavy heart,” she assures, signing off.