“How do you react to erratic power cuts at home?” asks director Amudhavanan. P, as we settle down for a chat at a coffee shop in Race Course. “Do you sit back and wait or take the responsibility to lodge a complaint with the Electricity Board? My first film, Veruli , will get people talking about day-to-day issues that affect them and how they react to it.”
The director doesn’t want to give away the story but says that it’s an edge-of-the-seat thriller that will set the audience thinking. “It tackles an issue that we face every day. National TV channels are talking about it. The reach of films is phenomenal. I have used it as a tool to reach out to the audience.” Amudhavanan, who worked with Tata Motors in Chennai, quit his job to make this film. “I narrated the story to my school-going daughter Shruti first. She was curious to know how the film ended. I took it as a green signal and started work immediately.” The film is under post-production and is expected to release in theatres in July end.
Singer Syed Subahan, who won the runner up prize in Airtel Super Singer season 4, makes his debut in the film. “Syed is the origin of the film. When he won the title, he spoke of being a responsible citizen. His attitude towards society made us approach him.”
Actor Abhishek, who played Kamal Haasan’s brother-in-law in Papanasam, and actor Ravi Prakash, a known face in Telugu films and who has done films like Maatraan , Edhir Neechal and Thalaivaa , play important roles. The film cast also has upcoming actor Archana Singh from Bengaluru.
Amudhavanan says, with visible pride, that K. Bagyaraj is a part of the film. “He plays a crucial role. My eyes would well up whenever I watched him perform. He was effortless. Right here at Race Course next to the Saradhambal temple, we shot a sequence where he becomes unconscious and faints on the road. He didn’t interfere but gave valuable suggestions. It was a great learning experience from the master in screenplay. He said he would give 200 marks to the script for the suspense it builds till the end,” laughs Amudhavanan.
On challenges he faced as a filmmaker, he says, “I did a SWOT analysis of myself and worked on the threats and weakness areas. I equipped myself with filmmaking techniques and hand-picked my team. My corporate background helped manage my team. We wrapped up the film in 40 days!”
With Veruli , Amudhavanan wants to put the spotlight on Coimbatore. “We want to bring those glorious days back when the city was a bustling cinema hub. We are no less than Chennai or Mumbai. In Kerala, you can make a film anywhere. Be it Kochi or Thrissur, you have access to camera equipment, dubbing studios and post-production work.
“Similarly, we can set up a structure in Coimbatore too. Animation studios here have done amazing CG work for my film. Veruli will throw light on the talent available in the city and draw filmmakers here,” he says.
The script, he says, is Veruli’s strength. “I have filmed it exactly the way I had visualised in my head. The frames and background are cinematic, but the people are real. One of the sequences was shot at a saw mill just for the background. It’s aesthetic but not over-the-top. We have used minimal make-up and there are no scenes where people smoke cigarettes or consume alcohol. There is no romance angle too, just three songs. The dialogues are drawn from real life. In Veruli , I have tackled just one issue. There are thousands of issues out there which I want people to take head on after seeing the film. It’s a clean film. We have worked on the film more like a campaign to drive home a message. Hope it works.”
City connect
The technical crew, cinematographer Siva Prabhu, music director Dinesh Raja, film editor Gavaskar Raju are all from Coimbatore.
The film has been shot extensively in Coimbatore, Chennai, Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh and parts of the Kochi Highway too.
To build pre-release hype, they plan to approach celebrities from Coimbatore like Suriya, Karthi and Sathyaraj
