Theri has Kerala links: Atlee

Those who watched the trailer of Ilayathalapathi Vijay’s upcoming film Theri cannot easily forget the name of one of his characters in the film — Joseph Kuruvila. Since the release of the trailer there have been speculations that the film has some Kerala connections and the Tamil star acts in it as a Malayali.
Atlee, who wielded the megaphone for Theri, agrees that his film has a ‘big’ connection with  God’s Own Country.

“Almost 40 per cent of the film is happening in Kerala. As you see on the trailer, Vijay sir’s character Joseph Kuruvila is settled there. So, Kerala also plays a crucial role in the narration of my film,” says the director. Will Vijay speak Malayalam in the film? “As of now, I can’t answer that question. Let it be a suspense.”

“But yes, there are lots of Malayalam dialogues in the film as a major portion is set against the backdrop of Kerala. From the conception stage itself, I have decided to place that portion there,” says Atlee, adding, “All the Malayalam dialogues were initially written by me, but in Tamil. Later, with the help of some Malayali friends, I translated it to their mother tongue.”

Atlee says that some noted actors from Malayalam film industry have acted in Theri, which is shot in the outskirts of Kottayam. “ Pradeep Kottayam sir, who has acted in films like Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya and my previous film Raja Rani has done a prominent role in Kerala portion. Along him almost 200 artistes from Kerala have acted in small and big roles.”

He says that Theri has no connection with any real life incident as it is completely a fictitious story.

Why does he connect all his films with Malayalam? “In fact, it's just because of my affection towards Kerala. It is one of my favourite places and I like its nature, scenic beauty, food and people.”

So will he make a Malayalam film soon? “May be… I really want to do a Malayalam film. I have started planning it. If everything goes well, my next film would be in Malayalam,” he sums up.