Sivasubramanian is an honest and upright police officer who wouldn’t think twice before putting his profession above family, given the circumstances. His wife is the polar opposite and a representation of the Indian middle-class mom; she is innocent, encouraging and sympathetic. Their seemingly heated exchanges, mostly over their son Saravanavelu aka Velu aka the captain of the Ghilli kabbadi team, are laced with the everyday humour of life that resonated with families.
In Ghilli , director Dharani found a powerhouse of talent in Ashish Vidyarthi and Janaki Sabesh, who essayed the respective roles, or what fans would fondly call ‘Ghilli Appa’ and ‘Ghilli Amma’.
Ghilli , a remake of the Telugu blockbuster Okkadu , was a rare masala movie that gave space to other characters, despite being shouldered by Vijay.
Sixteen years after its release, actors Janaki Sabesh and Ashish Vidyarthi had a virtual Ghilli reunion on Instagram. What followed was a warm conversation over hot idlis and coffee, as the duo reminisced its early days on the set of Ghilli and how, by the end of the movie, they found a friend in each other.
Janaki’s first interaction with Ashish was when they were shooting for a sequence on Haddows Road in Nungambakkam. She recalled how Ashish was already an established actor, a National Award winner to be precise, “Vijay and Trisha were in a vanity van, while we sat in the veranda and discussed Salil Chowdhury [singer]. The conversations were seamless,” she said.
The film opened to favourable reviews upon its release and completed a 200-day run at the box office. Janaki wondered if Ashish foresaw any of this while they were shooting. “I had no clue,” he laughed, adding, “All I knew was we were working hard without thinking about the result.”
The two spoke about the fun moments they shared on the set, especially the climax kabaddi sequence. It was Janaki’s birthday that day but she was caught up with an early morning schedule in Hyderabad. “I was cracking jokes and you received them with a straight face. I remember you offering chai when I felt sleepy,” she said.
Ashish Vidyarthi returns to Tamil cinema after a period of five years with the upcoming Adho Andha Paravai Pola starring Amala Paul. “I want to do amazing films in Tamil. What I’ve realised over the years is that there is nothing wrong in asking for roles,” he said, adding, “Life will not pause for your next role. So, there is no harm in asking.”
