Police director Caarthick Raju says he was happier during the making of his second fi lm Ulkuthu than he was with his fi rst. The fi lm, which is set for a May 12 release, is, according to him, “an absorbing comedy drenched thriller.” Raju says he did a lot of homework to accurately portray the lifestyle of goons. “In Ulkuthu, Dinesh plays a common man whose life is turned upside down by an unexpected event. Life is not the same for him since that decisive moment,” says Caarthick Raju. The director says that his experience with Thirudan Police came in handy when making Ulkuthu.
“I’ve been able to add in commercial elements while still telling the story in a simple manner, just like in my fi rst fi lm,” he adds. The two-movie old director admits that it’s not easy for fi lmmakers in “these days of social media. Reviews are out on the sites in a fl ash. Once, while watching a movie, I was appalled to fi nd a fan pronouncing his judgement before the movie had even passed the half-hour mark. I realised how filmmakers can leave nothing to chance, these days.” When asked why he decided to move from Yuvan Shankar Raja, who worked on Thirudan Police, to Justin Prabhakaran for the music, Caarthick says the choice was made keeping in the demands of the script.
“It was crucial that we set the right mood with the music. Justin was perfect for the fi lm. The two songs in the fi lm have been shot as montages.” The fi lmmaker is also all praise for the performances of his two leads, Dinesh and Nanditha. He says he was particularly pleased that neither of them overdid their performances, and were content to play their parts just right.
As a fi nal note, the director stresses that his movie does not showcase Dinesh as an all-out action-hero. He feels the promotions for the fi lm have given people a misconception about the character. “He is just a common man reacting to injustice,” says Caarthick, who light-heartedly adds, “Dinesh’s frame will not permit him to do such sequences, even if by Tamil cinema standards, they come at him, one by one.”
