A promising debut

After its premiere show, 8 Thottakal has created quite a buzz among Tamil audiences, as celebrities and critics have been lauding the film on social media.

The film, directed by debutant Ganesh, an erstwhile assistant of Mysskin, has newcomers Vetri and Aparna Balamurali in the lead. Aparna, who became popular in the Malayalam film industry through Maheshinte Prathikaram, talks to DC about her role in 8 Thottakal, the positive feedback it has garnered ahead of its theatrical release, and her choice of movies.

“The film is getting good reviews from talented directors and celebrities — it makes me immensely happy since it is also my debut film here (Tamil),” Aparna begins.

She says choosing this movie as her Kollywood debut is mainly because of the convincing script. “The movie is a crime thriller, and I thought it would be a good genre to start with. When I choose a film, I always look for the significance of my character. Even if you take 8 Thottakal, I don’t have a very long screen presence, but it has a prominent effect on the plot. That’s how I choose my films.”

She plays an idealistic journalist in the film, who wants to churn out genuine stories. “But the media house I am in, sees my existence there as a bother since they want to make only sensational stories. Other than that, I am an independent girl in Chennai, who befriends the hero, and helps him out when he gets into a terrible problem,” she says.

Aparna couldn’t dub for the movie herself because of health issues, but she asserts that she will be dubbing in forthcoming Tamil movies. She has also crooned for a song in 8 Thottakal.

Meanwhile, director Ganesh says he expected the film to garner the critical acclaim it has got now — “Small budget films like this usually work because of the reviews. So, even while I was making the film, I knew it would be received well. But being a debutant, I had some fear. However, the film was appreciated after the premiere show.”