It is no mean task for an Indian film to compete with foreign entries and emerge victorious. That says a lot about the directorial style, and creates buzz around the film, setting expectations for the audience. Not long ago, Kaaka Muttai, which was jointly produced by Dhanush and Vetrimaaran, became the toast of international film festivals. Now, the latter’s Visaranai (Interrogation), based on a novel written by M. Chandra Kumar, a Class X drop-out autorickshaw driver, has already been making waves abroad in film festivals. In fact, those who saw the film are raving about it. And the latest to shower his praise on the film was the Superstar himself.
Rajinikanth wrote on Twitter, “I have not seen a film like Visaranai in Tamil so far. It is at par with world class films. Congratulations for Vetrimaaran and Dhanush (sic).” An experimental Indian Tamil thriller, written and directed by Vetrimaaran of Polladhavan fame, Visaranai, starring Attakathi Dinesh, Samuthirakani, Anandhi and Aadukalam Murugadoss in the leading roles, became the first Tamil movie to have premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, this year in its 72nd edition, and has also won the ‘Amnesty International Italia Award’.
Quite content with the way things have panned out, the director, who has always believed in realistic character portrayals, says, “The story revolves around the real-life incidents of an individual, and it came straight from my heart. Dhanush is the producer,” and adds how the filmmakers had plans to send it to festivals even before its theatrical release. Vetrimaaran also has a reason as to why a film like Visaranai needs to be treated in a different way.
“I am a serious filmmaker, and I see the whole process of filmmaking more as a piece of art. I always feel that my films ought to teach me something about life,” he smiles. The director says he wanted the film to cater to international audiences, though the film was made keeping commercial factors in mind. “It’s always good to promote a film on a larger scale before it’s been put to test. I believe this will help the movie achieve global box-office success. I feel a large chunk of a filmmaker’s responsibility lies in that. I am happy that Visaranai is one of the most talked-about films in recent times. There is a huge market ready to accept good Tamil content,” he adds. Meanwhile, a little birdie tells us that some dialogues have been muted in the film, and this release will have more music by GV Prakash, that is sure to uplift the experience.
