‘Kadhalikka Neramillai’ and Kiruthiga Udayanidhi. A view of Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi is back in the director’s chair Kadhalikka Neramillai. On the lines of his first film Vanakkam ChennaiJayam Ravi and Nithya Menen’s film also looks like a fun, romance-drama. “It has no relation to the original film,” says Kiruthiga, referencing CV Sridhar’s 1964 cult classic, “Maybe at that time, it was a new age love story whereas ours is similar for today. Is.” This yesteryear film was actor Ravichandran’s debut film and interestingly, Kiruthiga’s last work was a web series. paper rocket In which the veteran actor’s granddaughter Tanya Ravichandran acted. “She was the first person I called to inform her about the connection when we zeroed in on this title,” says a smiling Kiruthiga as we sit in the office of the film banner Red Giant Movies. ”
“I try to tell stories regardless of what genre they fall under. Kadhalikka Neramillai It’s based on stories I’ve heard people talk about and like paper rocketIt is also based on true events,” says Kiruthiga, who agrees that there are not too many romantic films coming in Tamil cinema. “I think it’s because male directors are appealing to male audiences and violence seems to be the norm. Women or children do not want to watch these films but still they are made. Drama films, on the other hand, are timeless. Labbar Pandu This is a recent example which was celebrated and if more such films are made then people will definitely watch them.
Kiruthiga has been working on the script of this film for the last few years. “It was believed that it should have taken off earlier paper rocketAfter finishing it, when I was trying to make choices for this film, tiruchithambalam had been released and I felt that Nithya would be perfect for this role. I called and told the story and she immediately agreed. While talking to Ravi, I told him that Nithya had agreed and she agreed to read the script. I think he must have imagined the film with Nithya before agreeing to it,” says Kiruthiga. “In romcoms or dramas, emotions have to work and for that, the characters have to connect. Both actors immediately got increased roles.
A picture from the sets of ‘Kadhalikka Neramillai’. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In his last two films, Vanakkam Chennai And BlackKiruthiga gave equal importance to both his male and female lead characters. “When I talk to my friends, I understand that like me, they too are unable to connect with female characters written by men because they don’t behave like us. I think men don’t understand our basic nature. So when I write a female character, I want to make sure it connects to me and my friends,” says Kiruthiga, for whom such characters come naturally from her life experiences.
one of Kadhalikka Neramillai’s The USP is AR Rahman’s music and ‘Yennai Izhukkuthadi’ is already a hit. “All five songs coincidentally fall under five different genres. While ‘Yennai Izhukkuthadi’ is a pub song, ‘Lavender Nerama’ is a travel song and ‘It’s a Break Up Da’, as the name suggests, is a breakup song. When discussing songs, we explored a variety of topics and didn’t want to limit genres. That’s why ‘It’s a Break Up Da’ has a rock feel to it.”
Kiruthiga calls her film a contemporary love story; Ask her how she relates to it and the filmmaker says, “I believe I’m Gen Z (laughsThis is because my children belong to the Gen Z and Gen Alpha category. Rahman sir does not fit into any of these categories and that is why he is still what he is in the industry. Similarly, I can have relevant conversations with late teens because I like to think that I’m young (Smile,
She says that writing scenes from the characters’ shoes, rather than any preconceived notions, led to a more organic story. For example, a fight between a couple is the result of two different emotions of the man and the woman. Miscommunication that affects the rapport they usually have is often the cause and this happens regardless of which generation they belong to. People have been falling in love for centuries; Literary works from hundreds of years ago, which mention the feelings of people in love, still resonate in our minds. Love is an eternal concept but what is changing is the way we look at it along with developments in society, technology and the mindset of women who have been recovering from years of oppression.”
“I am someone who writes to be happy and stress-free in life,” the filmmaker said, adding that his inspiration comes from true events, when asked why his works are slice-of-life films. “Death, which was the original concept paper rocketIt is inevitable in everyone’s life but we still go through pain and sorrow. That’s why this series treats death as a transition. This is the philosophy I personally use for peace and happiness and I think it applies to my writing as well. This doesn’t mean that I will keep doing only such films; I want to do a horror film based on a paranormal experience of mine. I want to do a crime thriller and also a mass-commercial film soon.
A picture from the sets of ‘Kadhalikka Neramillai’. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In a recent interview, Kiruthiga mentioned Mani Ratnam and David Fincher as his favorite directors. Ask him why many of our filmmakers box themselves within a genre and Kiruthiga says, “I don’t think I have any genre so I have the freedom to experiment with genres. I still have a lot to learn. Some experienced filmmakers can easily surprise us with a film that is out of the box. Mani sir gave us Ponniyin Selvan and working on it thug Life Although he was taking in the feel-good drama right before that. Nolan is also making everything like a biopic oppenheimer films like interstellar And Batman movies.”
Despite debuting in 2013, Kadhalikka Neramillai This is Kiruthiga’s third feature film but the director feels she has always been working. “This is because I am constantly writing even when I am not shooting. In fact, there are very few filmmakers who make films from time to time because it takes time for many people. I want to tell my story in the best way possible so I want to take my time to work on it. With spare time, I write, so when one of my films releases, I am already ready for my next film with a bound script. I would honestly rather do a film and not beat myself up if it doesn’t work, rather than rush into a film. It takes time to cast, get their dates and find a production house.” Interestingly, Kiruthiga says his home banner Red Giant Movies is bankrolling Kadhalikka Neramillai It is not as easy as others may assume. “They wanted to do this film because they had seen Paper Rocket and because of the talent I brought to the stage and the business aspect of it, they wanted to take it on.”
Speaking of business, the conversation turns to the lack of female storytellers in Tamil cinema. “This is something I often wonder about. Half of my team consists of women. In the world of OTT, women are at the top management. Even though I didn’t consciously look for it, most of the HODs in my film were women and we only selected people based on their talent. Gender never matters when we are working. I think we are the root of change,” says Kiruthiga, who adds that perseverance and resilience go a long way. “Sometimes I feel like giving up but the next day I work twice as hard because I want my story to be heard. The film industry has always been tough for women but today there are more female technicians than ever before and that is progress. I look forward to seeing more in the coming years,” hinted Kiruthiga who is simultaneously working on a web series and a film.
Kadhalika Neramillai will release in theaters on January 14, 2025.
published – January 07, 2025 01:11 PM IST