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Four years after he made ‘Soori,’ writer-director Selvan returns with another angry hero subject. The film is ‘Krishna Leelai.’ Jeevan plays the protagonist, and if your surmise is that it’s an amorous adventure on celluloid on the lines of ‘Manmadha Leelai,’ Selvan is out to prove you wrong. Meghna, a debutant, will play the lead opposite Jeevan. Being made under the prestigious Kavithalaya banner, ‘Krishna Leelai,’ should be a big break for Selvan. “In Pushpa Kandaswamy and K. Balachander I have a producer and a great filmmaker, who love my story. Jeevan’s was the only face that came to my mind when I conceived the line and I was thrilled when KB agreed with my choice,” says Selvan.

“It’s a family effort,” laughs Rohan Krishna, director of Lingusamy’s ‘Pattaalam.’ Krishna’s wife Sheeba has written this story of nine adolescents, and their mentor played by Nadiya. The director has apprenticed under Priyadarshan and Santosh Sivan. “I went over to Mumbai to narrate the story to Nadiya. I was overjoyed when she said, ‘This is the kind of film I like to work in,’” he smiles. The youngsters, eight boys and a girl, were selected after several rounds of audition. “But we found one of them at a cinema,” says Krishna. A gold medallist from the film institute, Rohan Krishna’s maiden short film, ‘Paramapadam,’ won him a national award.

Armed with the experience of having worked under directors Shankar and Gandhi Krishna, Ananthanarayanan enters the fray with ‘Vaalmiki.’ “It’s a modern depiction of the life of Vaalmiki. But my experiences, emotional tangles and scars are the actual trigger,” says Ananth. Akil, the simple looking hero of ‘Kalloori,’ and Meera Nandan and Shruti Nair from Kerala play the lead roles. “We wanted our hero to be the typical boy on the road,” he explains. As a rarity, Ilaiyaraja, the film’s composer, will begin making its music only after shooting is completed. Says Ananth: “This way, we feel the impact will be more. And with a production house driven by quality [Vikatan Talkies] backing the project, what more can I ask for?”

Venu Chander, who has played hero in a couple of Telugu films, enters the Tamil arena with ‘Nalvaravu.’ Madhumita and Richa Palot are his heroines. ‘Nalvaravu’ should be one of the last films Raghuvaran shot for. “He has completed his part,” says Balasurya an erstwhile assistant of filmmakers P. Vasu and M. Baskar. “‘Thalaivaasal’ Vijay and Kalairani have also done commendable work,” he certifies. Balasurya is still to get over the shock of his hero jumping down from a height of 40 feet for an action sequence shot in Hyderabad. “The dupe was ready when suddenly Venu Chander decided to do it himself and came down all the way. My heart was in my mouth for a moment,” he recalls with a shudder.

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