A patriarch's death shocks his family, not for his sudden departure, but for leaving behind an attention-seeking quandary under his pants, a death erection. Director Ilango Ram's 2023 Sinhalese drama Tentigo (Nelum Kuluna in Sinhalese) is based on this quirky one-liner which has now been remade into Tamil as Perusu, starring Vaibhav and Niharika NM, among others. On adapting the film to suit Tamil cinema sensibilities, Ilango Ram says, "I am always particular about the setting in my films— Be it the people residing in the area or the way they conduct their weddings and festivals. If you look at Tentigo, the film reflects the people and their livelihood. It is only in India that you see a significant cultural difference between every state. Keeping this in mind, we worked intensely to bring a comedic flavour that would connect with the audience."
Dealing with a sensitive topic, the filmmaker had to strike the perfect balance to make it entertaining and not exploit the premise for shock value. "On one hand we can't make scenes in a way that would make the audience grimace. At the same time, playing it safe wasn't an option either. I wanted both my parents and the actors' parents to enjoy Perusu," he admits. However, the awkwardness was palpable on sets, and it took some time before the actors got comfortable. Niharika NM, who gained fame as a social media creator before entering films, shares, "It is indeed a taboo topic, but Ilango sir has made it very tastefully. I feel it is necessary to tackle such themes in a slightly comedic way." Even though she gained prominence as a digital creator, Niharika was particular about presenting herself a certain way for her film debut. "Everyone watched me grow up on the internet and they saw me in one particular character. When you're transitioning from YouTube to acting, you get one chance to do it right. Otherwise, the audience takes you as a joke. I was confused about the choice of film to pick, but Perusu had an ensemble cast which meant I didn't have to carry all the weight. At the same time, I had my fair share of learning from the cast," she says.
Vaibhav who plays a restrained role in the film, says, "A lot of actors do homework but I visualise my character only after I get the scene paper." Ilango adds, "I wanted the comedy to be subtle and he easily got into the groove. For me, Vaibhav ranks among the top comedians in Tamil cinema." Tentigo created history as the first Sri Lankan film to be remade in any part of the world. Interestingly, apart from Tamil, the funeral drama is also being made in Hindi, English, Italian, and Spanish. "In Italian, the story revolves around a father and two sisters. Certain themes are universally relevant," he notes ecstatically. On the film's phenomenal reception overseas, the director says, "Getting into a film festival is difficult, especially in the competition section. Out of 15,000 films, only 300 progressed to the award section. In that way, we are proud that our film won the special jury award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, which provided a better reach for our film."
Ilango Ram also shares his love for '80s films and how they inspire his work. "I love watching 80s classics like Aan Paavam and Indru Poi Naalai Vaa. I relate to stories that feel like they were made in our house or our neighbourhood. Be it Tentigo or my previous short Mouna Vizhiththuligal which is based on a father and his visually impaired daughter spending their days within the walls of a bunker during the Sri Lankan Civil War, or my upcoming film Rabbit Hole, every film is realistically made. Many are unaware of the Indian-origin community in Sri Lanka. Rabbit Hole will be based on that," he says. Just like how Tentigo was for Ilango, Meyaadha Maan remains a turning point for Vaibhav in his career and the actor reveals that he has become selective with his choice of films. "Director Ganesh K Babu once pitched a horror film to me. After turning it down, I asked why he didn't choose me for Dada. He said, 'We can't see you crying in front of the screen. If you make a film, we want to laugh and be entertained.' I was shocked. Can't I do films focussing on sentiment? Even Simbu asked me to stick to the comedy genre. He told me, 'There are many actors who are willing to work in thriller films, but there are not many actors who can do comedy. When I am low, I watch your films and I am your fan'," says Vaibhav, expressing his desire to break away from the image of a comedy actor.
Vaibhav has been maintaining a winning streak from Ranam, after which he was seen in Vijay’s The Greatest of All Time and the Telugu web series Bench Life. Looking back at his eventful year, Vaibhav says, “I am elated that these projects had lined up back-to-back. To add to my happiness, Bench Life was critically acclaimed. When I went to watch a film in Hyderabad, a couple recognised me as the ‘pudhu’ actor who played the lead in the series. I am glad many are watching my projects there.” As for Niharika, the creator-actor is looking forward to a busy year with three other films and a web series lined up with Karthik Subbaraj’s Stone Bench Creations, three projects in Telugu and one in Kannada. Does she credit these to her social media fame? “Yes, it does get your foot in the door, but after that, it doesn’t guarantee anything. Every creator, regardless of their popularity, auditions for their roles,” she says, reiterating, “I see myself as a content creator first.”