''VETRI MAARAN AND PARTHIBAN WANTED TO SEE MY FILM''

Radiopetti directed by debutant Hari Viswanath is the first Tamil film to have won an award at the Busan International film Festival under New Currents competition category. Hari is a civil engineer from Chennai, but is so passionate about cinema that he quit his well paying job to focus on something that he likes the best. He has done two short films called Idukkan and Pesum Virus which have won many awards at the National and International level. Hari Viswanath speaks to behindwoods,

What is Radiopetti about?

It is about a 70 year old man, who is retired, partially deaf, but is extremely fond of the valve radio that was gifted to him by his dad when he was a child. He sees his dad through the radio. One day it disappears from this man’s life which leads to his psychological disturbance. What happens after this is the rest of the story.

Old age is a second childhood

You will know that aged people are just like children reiterating the adage that old age is a second childhood. But young people don’t understand this. This is what I have conveyed in my film in a very subtle way. However, the moment somebody hears that a film is based on old people, they think it is some kind of melodrama or about poverty, but my film is not like that; it will be a positive, realistic and feel good flick. I have conveyed that elders could be obstinate and find it difficult to adapt themselves to changes.

Why did the Koreans like Radiopetti?

This is a much relatable film for everyone. For audiences, it would be a kind of memory recollection trip. I did not make this film to convey a message to anyone. I had used a lot of memorabilia like my grandfather’s spectacles, his pencil box and wallet as set properties and that was the reason the Koreans liked it and voted for it. Culturally, we are very similar to Korea and people were able to connect with the film. There are no songs or commercial elements in Radiopetti.

Technical team

Music is composed by Richard Ford, a British music composer from London, who has worked in British films. The background score was recorded in his studio in London. Saravanan Natrajan, a former associate of DOP Velraj is the cinematographer. Tapas Nayak has mixed the sound.

Patronage from film fraternity

Vetri Maaran greeted me; Parthiban sir, director Ram and Suhasini ma’am wanted to see the film. Few film personalities from Bollywood, Telugu film industry and leading producers have shown interest in the film.

Theatrical screening

Currently I am focusing on screening Radiopetti in many film festivals and I am glad that my film has been selected for Indian Panorama 2015 and will be screened at IFFI, Goa. This is the only Tamil film selected for the prestigious category. I am looking to have a theatrical release after Pongal 2016.

Our best wishes Hari Viswanath!

Jyothsna Bhavanishankar

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