Guru Ramesh, director of Enna Satham Intha Neram , knew that he was being unrealistic when he made a creative decision to include quadruplets in his script. “It was clear that I wasn’t going to find them overnight. But, in the worst case scenario, I knew I coulduse technology to achieve what I wanted onscreen,” says Guru.
Unwilling to take that route, he started writing to friends and several groups where twins and triplets socialise on Facebook. Through a friend, he finally found four pretty girls — Adhiti, Aakrithi, Akshathy and Aapthi. “At first, the parents weren’t sure about letting the kids act in movies. They hadn’t seen a movie in a theatre in ages. It was only after I narrated the script that they were convinced,” he says.
With around 95 per cent of the film set in the background of a zoo, how difficult was it to shoot with the kids? “Surprisingly, they were quick to pick up stuff. The shooting spot would be lively. Whenever the energy levels dipped, the kids would pep us up. Sometimes, they would start singing on the microphone.”
Is the film an exploration of modern parenting? “That’s just a small part of it. It touches on the financial difficulties faced by parents of today as they bring up their children. But, the film itself is about how a single incident affects the lives of several characters,” says Guru.
Apart from the quadruplets, the film features director Jayam Raja in the role of the father and marks the return of actor Manu, who was last seen romancing Ajith Kumar in Kadhal Mannan . Why did he opt for such unconventional casting? “Once I found the quadruplets, I was faced with another challenge: who would play the onscreen parents of the kids? I felt Jayam Raja and Manu would fit the roles, especially because they are known to the audience and they play their age.”
Did Raja not insist on a bigger role in his very first film? “Despite being a celebrity director, he didn’t complain when I told him that he was not a full-fledged protagonist. He was fine with it. In fact, I would say there is no one protagonist in the film.”
