Touted to be the first stoner movie of Tamil cinema, Simba has been in the making for a very long time now. But, the Bharath-starrer is finally up for release.
The director Aravindh Sridhar, in a chat with us, reveals more about the quirky film, and the reason for the delay.
“The film was in a bad muddle, and is finally out of it now. However, the problems had nothing to do with our production team; it was from a third party. There were times when we thought it would be one of the films that don’t see the light of day. But actor Vishal and his advocate Balan were instrumental in bringing out the film. I am really grateful to them,” Sridhar starts.
When asked if he is worried about the certification board, which is stringent in dealing with controversial themes, Sridhar affirms, “I have not glorified marijuana smoking in my film. Nothing in the film encourages or advocates the habit. The story is woven around a guy (played by Bharath) who is a habitual smoker of ganja. So, nothing is controversial about the movie.”
“Bharath has done justice to the character ‘Mahesh’ throughout. Unlike his commercial entertainers, he has played a subtle role in Simba, and has been consistent with his performance till the end of the film,” he adds.
Premgi is playing a pet dog in the film, and it is going to be a laughter riot, says the director. “Premgi is the heroine’s (played by Bhanu Sri Mehar) dog. Friendship, ego, and the relationship between Bharath and the dog Simba is what the whole film is about.”
The music of Simba is by the promising music composer Vishal Chandrasekar, a very good friend of Sridhar’s. “I have known Vishal for a long time, even before we started working together. This kind of playground is his forte, and he has taken special care in composing the songs for the film.” The makers are planning to release the film by the beginning of May.
