Filmmaker Manimaran, former associate of Vetrimaaran, who helmed the Siddharth-starrer Udhayam NH4, is back on track with Pugazh. Says Mani, “Jai plays the role of a common man, and the whole story is set in a political backdrop. Marimuthu (director of Pulivaal) is pitted against Jai as a small-town politician.
The story has an interesting plot and there’s an equal scope for family sentiment and love in the movie. Surabhi of Ivan Vera Mathiri fame plays Jai’s love interest. Karunaas also stars in the film as Jai’s brother.”
Shot extensively around Chennai and Ranipet; Manimaran tells us that shooting the film was a truly different experience. “Jai has this boy-next- door image and the kind of face that today’s audience relates to. Actually, what made me do this movie is an incident that happened in my friend’s life,” he smiles.
The director explains that the movie deals with a gang of boys who live in a small town. The story revolves around the rivalry between these boys and the political party — over acquiring a playground both groups visit frequently! When I did my research, I found out that the city doesn’t have enough playgrounds to encourage the youngsters — and that set the basis for the script to take shape.”level.
