What the film is about…
Sudha Screens’ Nangam Pirai, produced by Sriraj and directed by Vinayan, is in 3D format. Based on Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” it has a mix of Indian mythology and culture. Vinayan has also taken care of the story and screenplay. The dialogues are written by Raja. Babith George and Vimal have scored the music, and Na. Muthukumar has penned the lyrics. The camera is handled by Sathish G. Vanessa Taylor, colourist, who has earlier worked on English films such as Avathar and Harry Potter , is involved in this project. Sudhir plays the role of the Dracula, while Aryon, Prabhu, Nasser, ‘Ganja’ Karuppu’, Manobala, Monal Gajjar, Sraddha Das and Priya comprise the rest of the cast.
Music highlights
There are only three songs in the album and two instrumentals. ‘Paarijatha Poove’ is beautifully rendered by Karthik, while ‘Anthi Vennila’ has the voices of Rantith and Ganga. Babith George and Sugeetha Menon give life to the theme song. The other two, ‘Seductive Beats’ and ‘Prince of Darkness,’ are instrumentals.
What they say…
Producer Sriraj: I own the Central Kanakathara theatres in Coimbatore. I was an exhibitor and distributor and now a producer. I have distributed English, Hindi and Tamil films. When I wanted to enter production, I met director Vinayan. I was floored by the story he narrated to me. It is the story of Dracula, but he has adapted it to suit the Indian audiences. I liked the way he wanted to shoot the film and within a few months’ time he has finished it.
Director Vinayan: This is my 35th movie. I have made 30 films in Malayalam and four in Tamil. When I wanted to do a film on Count Dracula, I did a little bit of research and found that there are 19 Dracula movies and not one has been made in India. So I decided to do a Dracula film with Indian connection in 3D. The first leg of shooting was completed in 15 days in Transylvania, Romania, where the Dracula castle is situated. Then we shot in various parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The film is made in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.
Hero Sudhir: I was doing minor roles in Tamil and Malayalam films. Meeting director Vinayan proved to be a turning point in my life. He offered me the lead role in Nangam Pirai and further told me that I looked like Christopher Lee, who has played Count Dracula in a string of films. I can’t wait to see the reaction of the audience to my performance.
Music director Babith George: I live in New York. When a popular director like Vinayan asked me to score the music for his film, I was thrilled at the opportunity. I have composed a couple of songs and the re-recording for the movie. My partner Vimal is in the U.K. and into music composing. Both of us have worked to the satisfaction of the director.
