The idea for director Radha Mohan’s upcoming Brindavanam was born when he was doing extensive research for his hit film Mozhi (2007). He had interacted with many speech-and-hearing impaired people and listened to their stories. “One such story, an unusual one, inspired me to write the script of Brindavanam, ” says Radha Mohan.
Mozhi dealt with the love story of a speech-and-hearing impaired girl, played by Jyothika. In Brindavanam , Arulnidhi, the protagonist, essays a similar role. “The disability of the lead characters is the only common factor. Brindavanam is completely different,” he says, adding that it will be an entertainer with humour, drama and emotion.
Arulnidhi plays a speech-and-hearing impaired hair dresser, and Tanya (last seen in Balle Vellaiya Deva ) is paired with him. Comedian Vivek plays himself in the film.
Was the script written keeping Vivek in mind? “Not really,” says the filmmaker, “I wanted to cast Vivek, as he is a great performer.”
Speaking about Arulnidhi, Radha Mohan says, “So far, he has done only tough roles, but in this film, he plays a happy individual.” For the character, Arulnidhi underwent a month-long training in sign language, reaction and body language from Vijaya Bhaskar, who had trained Jyothika for Mozhi .
All of Radha Mohan’s films have had strong female characters, and in Brindavanam , he has Sandhya, a level-headed girl who makes her own decisions. “Sandhya is bold and independent. Tanya is pretty confident as Sandhya, and she’s worked hard on her role.”
Brindavanam , which was shot extensively in and around Udhagamandalam and Sakleshpur in Karnataka, is slated for release on May 26.
