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A still from Jamaai

Triangular love

His first film Paadum Vanampadi (1985), based on the superhit Hindi film Disco Dancer , ran for a record 250 days. While his second film is still in the cans, director M. Jayakumar has just completed Jamai. A musical family entertainer, Jamai has six songs composed by Dheena. “In this triangular love story, the hero Navin is a drummer in a college band in which Vyjayanthi and Uday are singers. There are many twists in the lives of these youngsters. The story moves from their college to their professional lives where they bump into one another frequently. The songs are a crucial part of the screenplay, conveying the mood of each situation and taking the story forward in a dynamic way,” says Jayakumar.

A thrilling sequel

S

amrajyam (1990) was a mega hit gangster film in Malayalam for Mammooty who played Alexander, a don. The film’s Tamil version also went on to do brisk business. A sequel to it is being made in Malayalam and Tamil, helmed by director Perarasu. Keeping with his tradition of naming films with places starting with T, Perarasu has selected Tihar as the title for this sequel. “In the second part, Alexander’s son returns from abroad to carry on the nefarious activities of his father. This will be the king of all action films for I have ensured that the fight and action sequences are very exciting. We recently shot a thrilling fight sequence between the hero Mukundan, who plays the son, and Riyaz Khan,” says Perarasu, who has shot Tihar in Dubai and Mumbai apart from other cities.

Love despite odds

The story is set in a remote village and takes place in a span of 10 years from 1990. To lend authenticity to the location, director Gopu Balaji did most of the shoot in a village that retains its old-world charm near Chidambaram. “Is falling in love a crime? Why does society discourage romantic liaisons?

Paranjothy is a story about those who surmount opposition to discover true love,” says Gopu. Sarathy plays the central character Paranjothy, who wants to lead a peaceful life with a woman he loves passionately. Sanusha plays his love interest. “People in the city may be liberal towards young couples in love. But, the attitude is by and large disapproving in villages. Hopefully,

Paranjothy will help change this perception and make life better for future generations,” feels Gopu.