Can one individual make a difference in society?
Yes, it is possible, says Tamil director M. Raja, whose upcoming Tamil film, Thani Oruvan, is inspired by the life of his close friend of 25 years, B.S. Mubarak, Consul General of India to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Raja, nicknamed ‘Remake Raja’ for his seven successful remakes, breaks this image with a story that he has scripted himself. As in most of Raja’s films, once again his younger brother, Jayam Ravi, is in the lead.
Ravi dons the khaki uniform for the first time in his career to play IPS Mitran in this action thriller.
While the story is pivoted around good versus bad, Raja makes it clear that it is not a stereotypical story. “I have presented it in a different dimension,” he said.
“In most films of this kind, there is a personal vengeance for the protagonist to pursue the antagonist and the hero strikes back when challenged by the villain. But in this film, the protagonist is concerned about the welfare of society and he goes out in search of his enemy to challenge and confront him.”
What makes the story interesting is the presence of Arvind Swami of Roja fame. The good-looking actor, who made a comeback with Mani Ratnam’s Kadal and can still set hearts a-flutter, plays the baddie, Siddharth Abhimanyu.
Raja said that he wanted Swami in the negative role because he felt that evil is more horrifying when attractive and glamorous.
“Abhimanyu seduces people with his good looks, and they do not realise that there lurks a scheming mind beneath that exterior. When I approached Swami, I was not sure if he would be keen on exploring this role, but to my surprise, he said, ‘I need the role,’” recalled Raja.
Swami’s in-depth knowledge on films and his inputs helped in building the character and body language of Abhimanyu. (If you have still not caught the trailer online, do check it out.)
Watch Abhimanyu say, “nallathe pannittu irukanam nenacha athu kadavulala kooda mudiyathu (even God cannot remain alive if he wishes to do so after doing a good deed). I am not bad just evil.” A far cry from the Rishi Kumar of Roja.
Nayanthara is paired opposite Ravi. She plays Mahima, an IPS trainee and a character that demanded an intense performance. The director says the actress lived up to his expectations. Bollywood’s Mugdha Godse (of Fashion fame) makes her debut in Tamil cinema as international model Shilpa and is paired opposite Arvind Swami. The supporting cast includes Ganesh Venkataraman as an IPS trainee and Ravi’s onscreen friend. Telugu actor Vamsi Krishna plays a baddie.
The film was shot at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Mussorie and Police Academy of Hyderabad, as well as locations in Chennai, Bangalore, Dehradun and Haridwar.
Crediting his younger brother, Raja said: “This film happened because Ravi believed in me.”
Raja, the eldest son of editor Mohan, remembered watching films sitting on his father’s lap, who often explained the making of the film to his little son, sowing seeds for the future filmmaker in him.
After a diploma in direction from Film and Television Institute, Chennai, he debuted with Telugu film Hanuman Junction, a remake of Malayalam film Thenkassipattinam. His next, Jayam in Tamil, (a remake of the Telugu film of the same name,), gave Ravi a new name, ‘Jayam Ravi.’ Most of Raja’s films have been sweet romantic flicks, such as Santosh Subramaniam, and can be watched anytime.
With Thani Oruvan, Raja steps into a new genre.
“When I decided to do a cop story, my friend Mubarak... and the values he stood by... came to my mind.”
Weaving anecdotes from Mubarak’s training days at the Academy, Raja wrote this psychological thriller.
“Thani Oruvan is a sincere film. It will be an edge of the seat experience,” promised Raja.
Produced by AGS Entertainment, Thani Oruvan’s music is scored by Hip Hop Thamizh. Cinematography is by Ramji.
Thani Oruvan releases in the UAE on August 27.
