“Dhana, a protégé of Mani Ratnam, is a happy man these days. He has reason to rejoice. His second directorial venture, Vannam Kottatum, bankrolled by his mentor Mani Ratnam, has been receiving accolades from all quarters - audience as well as critics. “We are happy that family audiences are thronging the theatres”, he says.
Dhana says that trick lies in choosing the right entity to release the film. “My debut film Padai Veeran dealt with a theme similar to that of Dhanush’s Asuran, but it went unnoticed. However, Vaanam Kottatum, which was released by Madras Talkies, got the right attention.”
On bringing real-life couple Sarathkumar and Radhikaa on board as reel-life couple, creating a talking point. “We cast Sarathkumar first. I wanted someone fresh to essay the bold and stubborn father role in VK. We felt Sarath Sir would fit it and add new colour to it and indeed it did.”
He added that “later, when we were developing the script, the mother character turned out very strong and assertive and we could not think of anyone other than Radhikaa Madam. In fact, all the characters were my observations in my real life in Theni. Later, Mani Sir and I developed the story based on that.”
Dhana is working on his next, an action thriller, and talks are going on with a top actor. “Once I sign up, I will announce it officially,” he signs off.
