He made a stylish statement in his debut film, Eeram (2009). This was followed by Vallinam (2014), a sports drama, and Aarathu Sinam (2016), a crime thriller which was a remake of Malayalam film Memories . Director Arivazhagan is now ready with his fourth film titled Kuttram 23 , starring Arun Vijay in the lead.
When Arivazhagan decided to direct Arun, he started looking for a suitable story. “During my school days, I read many stories written by Balakumaran, Sujatha, and Rajesh Kumar. As I had a strong ability to visualise, I used to thoroughly enjoy reading these novels, and was especially fascinated by the storytelling style of Rajesh,” says Arivazhagan. Later, when he decided to work on Rajesh’s novels and approached him, he was given 15 novels by the author. “I picked up one as I was fascinated by the idea of a medical thriller. I have developed the screenplay and dialogues,” he says.
Talking about the film, the director says that Kuttram 23 will not be just another cop film, and has all the elements of an action flick. His protagonist, Vetrimaaran, played by Arun, is someone who has the right balance of intelligence and emotion. “My protagonist is a family-oriented person. You will see a suave and stylish cop whose interrogation style and intelligence is sure to impress the audience,” says Arivazhagan, adding, “while in the first half we will get to see a subtle performance by Arun, the second half will have an emotional outburst.”
While developing the script for Eeram , Arivazhagan had done complete research on the police department. “This time around, my focus was on medical crime. In order to understand crime associated with the medical field, I conducted extensive research by speaking to doctors and reading up about various crimes on the Internet.” The trailer of the film that has a kid singing a nursery rhyme is not just for promo purposes. It is also a clue about an important aspect of the film, adds Arivazhagan.
Composer Thaman has composed music for all his other films. But for this film, Arivazhagan has roped in Vishal Chandrasekhar. “ Kuttram 23 was shot in 45 days, and even though Thaman and I are best friends, he could not take up this project as he was busy with other assignments. Vishal’s music, especially his soul-stirring BGM, will haunt you for many days,” he says.
Talking about his lead star, Arivazhagan was highly impressed with Arun’s hard work and dedication. “In Kuttram 23 , I have completely changed his look, and made him a stylish police officer who has a military look.”
Mahima Nambiar plays the female lead, and Vamsi Krishna plays the villain. The comedy element in the film is taken care of by Thambi Ramaiah. The film is slated for a March 3 release.
