EVENT COVERAGE

“A press misquote brought us together”, Udhayanidhi Stalin

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The audio and trailer launch of National Award winning Seenu Ramasamy’s upcoming film Neerparavai under the banner of Red Giant Movies was held last evening at the premise of Sathyam Cinemas, Chennai. Neerparavai is the first Red Giant production since its last successful outing with OKOK. The film’s gist is said to be about the sea and the lives that depend on it.

The evening commenced with a screening of the trailer and also of a song titled ‘Para para’ sung by G.V Prakash. The music director N.R. Raghunanthan later pointed out that the song was orchestrated only with string arrangements and without any rhythm instruments. The visuals looked extremely pleasing on the eye with the costal locations serving as the background.

The event was hosted by Divya who first invited producer Udhayanidhi Stalin on stage to give the welcome address. During his speech, Udhayanidhi asserted that his banner is also willing to take up small budget films such as this under its wings. He recalled an interaction that he had with Seenu Ramasamy during the release of Thenmerku Paruvakaatru and had supposedly advised him not to release it during the same time as Manmadhan Ambu, a Red Giant production. But for some reasons the director decided to go ahead and release it at the same time and suffered damages. He also recalled how a press misquote brought him and Seenu Ramasamy together. Finally he concluded by saying that this film will win at the awards and at the box office.

Next on stage were a collection of young actors like Vijay Sethupathy, Shantanoo Bhagyaraj and Prithvi who praised hero Vishnu’s hard work and dedication towards this film. Other members associated with the film revealed that Vishnu was almost nearly left out of the film because he sustained a fracture in his arm just before the first schedule. The director did confess to considering a replacement but only because the role required strenuous activity and was concerned about hurting the same arm again. But following the intervention of producer Udhayanidhi Stalin, the schedule was postponed till the time Vishnu fully recuperated.

Other prominent industry personnel such as GNR Kumaravel said that the film has a lot of positive vibes and encouraging talk in the post production studios. Director Pandiraj said that the cast members Thambi Ramaiah and Samuthirakani would frequently call him up to tell him what a great job Seenu Ramasamy is doing with Neerparavai. Director Suseendiran spoke of Vishnu’s unassuming demeanor and had words of praise for music director N.R. Raghunanthan saying that nativity subjects are his core. Director Rajesh and Ponvannan too showered accolades on the team while Sundar C expressed his desire to work with cameraman Balu in the near future.

The films cast members Vadivukarasi and Saranya made their presence felt at the event by going on stage and expressing their desire to work with Seenu Ramasamy again even if it’s a small role. They said that the whole experience of working on the film was as comfortable as going on a holiday.

The heroines of the films Sunaina and Mano Chitra too made their mark at the event. Sunaina revealed that the director didn’t have confidence in her at first but later asked her to perform from the heart and it would show in the eyes which helped her enormously. Mano Chitra said she was initially apprehensive about doing the small role but the director convinced her into it and now she’s glad that she did it. Hero Vishnu said that the director narrated the story to him and Sunaina on the shores of the beach during the wee hours of the morning and he immediately decided that this project was not to be missed. He also recalled how he got yelled at by the director during one of the scenes and that’s when he realized the perfectionism required out of him.

Balu Mahendra then took to the stage to a rousing ovation and he spoke his heart out about how censor certifications mean nothing. He believes what is important is the public response and that is the biggest certification that film will get. He said that a film is a reflection of the film-maker’s attitude and intention towards it and he believes that Seenu Ramasamy has delivered a deep and emotional film in that vein. He also said he was proud of the boys from his institute such as Seenu Ramasamy, Vetri Maaran and Bala.

One of the event’s chief guests Harris Jayraj said that the film had a combination of a good producer, director and a music director to make it a winner. A R Murugadoss too was present at the event and said that he wanted to sign Seenu Ramasamy under his banner but Red Giant beat him to it. He concluded by saying that he’s curiously anticipating the film’s release.

Director Seenu Ramasamy began by thanking the producer for ignoring the past miscommunications and agreeing to do the film. He said that his cameraman Balu worked relentlessly in scorching Sun and withstanding strong winds during his aerial shots. He feels that Sunaina will follow the footsteps of able performers like Revathi and Shobana. He was proud to announce that music director Raghunanthan was his find and he was overwhelmed by his effort for the film. In what was one of the most explosive revelations of the evening, the director courageously voiced the opinion that hero Vishnu will receive a national award for his performance in this film. In a speech that was honest and light hearted, he quipped at one of Vairamuthu’s verses pondering over its meaning.

Fittingly Vairamuthu, who wrote all the songs in the film, delivered the closing speech and responded to Seenu Ramasamy by giving him not one but three meanings for the verse he had mentioned earlier. He also suggested the plotline of the movie saying it’s about a Sri Lankan orphan growing up in Tamil Nadu waters. He ended his powerful speech by saying that there can never be a refugee as long as there is mankind, suggesting the need for unity.

The audio was released by Harris Jayraj, Balu Mahendra, A R Murugadoss and Vairamuthu with all the other dignitaries assembled on stage.