The cast and crew members of Manmadhan Ambu met the
Fourth Estate professionals at the Taj Sheraton hotel
in Chennai. The press meet was attended by media reporters
from across the country. Director KS Ravikumar, music
director Devi Sri Prasad, Sangeetha, producer Udhayanidhi
Stalin and dance master Shobi were present with the
movie's hero Kamal Hassan. The heroine of the movie
Trisha could not attend the meet due to prior commitments.
Kamal can narrate 5 stories in one hour
Speaking on the occasion, director KS Ravikumar threw
light on the movie's uniqueness. Informing that most
part of the movie has been shot on the Mediterranean
cruise, he said that the cruise could handle nearly
5500 people at any given time. Recalling his earlier
movies with Kamal, he said they are a great combination
when they get together.
He said that Manmadhan Ambu will not be like Panchathanthiram
or Thenali. "This will not be an out and out
comedy movie but will have all the ingredients for
a clean entertainer", he added. Speaking about
Kamal Hassan, he said that Kamal is so talented that
he can narrate 5 stories in one hour. "Manmadhan
Ambu is one among such stories he told me", Ravikumar
informed. He also told that he and Kamal decided to
work on a light hearted script after toiling hard
for Dasavatharam.
Ravikumar remarked that he wanted to direct Panchthanthiram
2 and shoot it on a ship and that his dream came true
while shooting on the cruise for Manmadhan Ambu. Thanking
Udhayanidhi Stalin for his support, Ravikumar concluded
by saying that Manmadhan Ambu was made possible only
because of producer Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Manmadhan Ambu is a Perum "Kalam'
Referring to the cruise as 'Kalam' (tamil word for
ship), Kamal said that Manmadhan Ambu is a Perum Kalam,
because of its hugeness. He said that the cruise is
so huge that it will take 2 days to tour all the decks
in it. The cruise is 318 metres in length and is the
size of 4 ‘Five’ star hotels. While on
a trip to search for shooting locations, he and Ravikumar
found the ship anchored in Dubai. Impressed by its
majestic beauty, they immediately planned to shoot
the movie in it.
My largest nightmare
Lauding producer Udhayanidhi's support, he said that
they could 'carry' the cruise from Dubai to Europe
only because of him. "He gave us all the facilities
that we wanted for the movie", he said. Indicating
that a normal crew size while on a foreign shoot is
18, Kamal said that they took 87 members with them
for outdoor shooting. The dance masters are mostly
from Italy and Shobi would rehearse with them on land,
travel for many hours to shoot the sequence on the
cruise. This was a daily routine which was followed,
he said.
Also highlighting the fact that shooting on a foreign
location is not an easy job, Kamal reflected the pains
and efforts of the crew members. "All in all,
it was my largest nightmare", he quoted.
SPB surprised me
Talking about the music, Kamal said that he is happy
with the response from the public for the album. He
said that he pins his hopes on his fans and public
to give a thumping reception when the movie is released.
When Kamal met SP Balasubramanian, the singer pretended
that he is not very happy about the songs but later
told him that he is very impressed with the album.
"I was so relieved when he said that", Kamal
said smilingly.
He revealed that cinematographer Manush Nandan has
used a technically advanced camera for this movie.
If the song "Sundari Neeyum..." was shot
on 24 frames, we have used a new and interesting technique
while Manmadhan ambu story shooting the "Neela
Vaanam..." song in Manmadhan Ambu, Kamal said.
He thanked all the actors, including Madhavan and
Trisha, for attending the workshop rehearsals before
the movie. Kamal also told reporters that MS Bhaskar
and Kovai Sarala could not feature in the movie due
to varied reasons even after them attending the workshop.
"Manmadhan Ambu will be a breezy tour-like experience
and will not have shades of Panchathanthiram or Thenali",
he ended.
Producer Udhyanidhi did not speak for long but thanked
all cast and crew members for their support and co-operation
in completing the project as per his expectations.
I don't want to imitate Endhiran
It was Q & A time and one of those present asked
Kamal about the technique used for the Neela Vaanam
song for which he replied, "Solli therivathillai
Manmadha Kalai". When asked the reason for choosing
a cruise, Kamal said that it is like another location.
Referring to songs being shot in Switzerland, Kashmir
etc, he said that it is for the majestic nature of
the ship and the story which is a journey, they chose
to shoot the movie on the cruise.
When someone asked if Manmadhan Ambu will compete
with Endhiran in terms of budget, Kamal said that
he does not want to imitate Endhiran. "I have
always grown up under the auspices of Shivaji Sir
and I have my own style of acting. So I will never
try to imitate anyone like a mimicry artist",
Kamal said jovially.
Since there were people from across the country, Kamal
was made to answer in Telugu, Malayalam and English.
"Do you want me to speak in Tulu?", Kamal
quipped much to the delight of those present. Overall,
it was a fun-filled afternoon at the Park Sheraton
with the Manmadhan Ambu crew.
There were speculations in the room that the movie
will be sent for censor certification on the 10th
of December and that it could get released on December
17, 2010. We will keep you posted on latest developments.
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