13 times lucky

Come Diwali and Poojai will be running in the halls. Director Hari gives a little preview

Director Hari

With 12 films in as many years, Hari is surely a man in a hurry. And he says: “Ever since my childhood, I’ve been used to doing things fast. The only thing I deliberately didn’t do fast was learning the art of filmmaking. I spent several years as an assistant director under acclaimed directors such as Senthilnathan, K. Natarajan, Nassar, Alex Pandian, K. Balachander and Saran. I learnt hard work, humility, politeness, patience, a systematic way of working and, above all, how to enjoy making a film, as Saran would always say,” says Hari.

Hari tried for a degree in Law but the entrance test fazed him. He wanted to get into the police force so Hari tried for the IPS but was again foiled by the entrance exam. But these ambitions found their way into his successful police stories such as Saamy, Singam and Singam 2 .

Known for fast-paced, action-packed films that set the box office on fire, his thirteenth film

Poojai is to be released during Diwali. Hari talks about growing up in Saligramam and how that may have influenced his foray into films. “I wanted a sound education, if only to gain a status in life. After completing M.Com, I was encouraged by friends to move into the film industry as an assistant director. Even then, I was clear — my films should reflect my personality.” Hari has made two films with Vikram, four with Suriya, besides one each with Prashanth, Simbu, Sarathkumar, Bharath and Dhanush. He is making his second film with Vishal after their 2007 hit

Thaamirabharani . Hari says his family’s real estate and trading business taught him to plan his productions. “I learnt to manage finance. And the experience gained under talented directors taught me more than any film institute could.”

Movie trailer

Poojai is a typical Hari film, with lots of action from Vishal and glamour from Shruthi Hassan. “Shruthi plays a stylish Coimbatore girl. In all my films, the storyline is simple but the screenplay has unique and sometimes unusual treatment. Poojai’s speciality is that it’s a triangular action story. Three parallel threads emanate from Coimbatore, Pollachi and Sethumadai — city, town and village — and converge in Patna. Two problems crop up in totally different locations and affect one person, Vishal, a local money-lender. How that person deals with it in his own way forms the crux. There are numerous fights and chases; none of them frivolous. Actually, I tried eliminating at least one fight but found the script needed them all. It was challenging for me to differentiate the fights and chases from one another. For instance, I have shot one chase sequence entirely from an overhead angle. I had attempted something similar in Singam but have refined and elaborated it for Poojai,” says a visibly relaxed Hari, as he gives finishing touches to his film at Prasad Laboratories.