Movie makers think out of the first-aid box

Invite for audio and trailer launch of Balaji Mohan’s upcoming film comes in a medical kit, in keeping with its theme

March 14, 2014 01:14 am | Updated May 19, 2016 08:26 am IST

A still from the 1965 MGR-starrer Aayirathil Oruvan

A still from the 1965 MGR-starrer Aayirathil Oruvan

From the maker of 2012’s superhit romcom — ‘Kadhalil Sothapuvathu Eppadi’ — comes yet another interesting title: ‘Vayai Moodi Pesavum’ (which translates to ‘shut up and talk’).

The movie, directed by Balaji Mohan and produced by Varun Manian in association with Sashikanth S., has Malayalam star Mamootty’s son Dulquer Salman in the lead, along with Nazriya Nazim.

The director who is quite savvy on social media recently announced excitedly on Twitter that Mani Ratnam was going to be the chief guest at the audio and trailer launch on Friday.

The invite for the launch came in green in a medical kit box containing a stressbuster ball, a batch of ear buds, a pair of ear plugs, some white plaster, a bottle of mouthwash, a pin, and a bar of chocolate, all branded with the VMP colour of yellow. Clearly, in keeping with their tagline, ‘Talking is injurious to health’.

A note came along, explaining why those pieces went into the box. The plaster, for instance, it said, is ‘for when you don’t know the right thing to say. Rather than say something wrong you can never take back… plaster up.’ Of course, ‘vaayai moodi pesavum’.

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More than a decade after Siddharth entered the limelight with Shankar’s ‘Boys,’ the actor has not really found a firm footing in Tamil cinema.

Though there was ‘Kadhalil Sothapuvathu Eppadi’ in 2012 and ‘Theeya Vellai Seyyanum Kumaru’ last year, he has still not had the ‘most sought after’ tag.

But now, it looks like the actor is determined to conquer his home State with two big projects: ‘Jigarthanda’, directed by Karthik Subbaraj of ‘Pizza’ fame, is already creating a buzz with its trailer touching 4 lakh views in less than a week’s time; and ‘Kaaviya thalaivan’, directed by Vasanthabalan, music composed by A.R. Rahman and co-starring Prithviraj.

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Without a doubt, MGR is one of the few icons of Indian cinema who commands a frenzied fan following, long after he stopped making movies. Now, more than 25 years after his demise, one of his biggest hits ‘Aayirathil Oruvan’ is set to be re-released at the theatres and fan frenzy is building up again.

G. Chockalingam, of Divya Films, who digitally restored the 1965 B.R. Panthulu-directed film, says it will release in more than 120 theatres on Friday. “I was planning a limited release but I have been overwhelmed by the demand from theatres. In Chennai alone, the film is releasing in seven screens, and across various cities, the weekend shows have already been booked.” Delays pushed the film from its original release date in January.

Meanwhile, die-hard fans of the actor can’t wait. A printing press worker Siva Perumal, secretary of ‘Puratchi Thalaivar Amma Bhakthargal Kuzhu,’ said the fan club had blocked a chunk of tickets at Albert Theatre in Egmore for Sunday matinee show. A cutout size garland and milk ‘abhishekams’, are part of his plan. Perumal first watched ‘Aayirathil Oruvan’ at the erstwhile Mekala theatre four decades ago.

Interestingly, ‘Aayirathil Oruvan’ released in 1965 in three theatres in the city — Mekala, Sri Krishna and Midlands. None of the theatres have survived, unlike MGR’s mass appeal.

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