Tamil director Vasantabalan, known for his hard-hitting stories and poignant realism, returns with a period film.
Kaaviya Thalaivan, boasting an ensemble cast that includes Nasser, Siddharth, Prithviraj, (yes, you read it right, the Malayalam star), Vedhika (of Bala’s Paradesi fame), Ponvannan and National Award winner Thambi Ramiah, promises to transport viewers to the era when theatre ruled and the big screen was unheard of.
This is Vasantabalan’s fifth film. Great expectations are pinned on the film from the director of Veyil, (a National Award winner screened at Cannes Film Festival in 2007) and Angadi Theru.
Kaaviya Thalaivan, inspired by the lives of theatre greats S. G. Kittappa and K.B. Sundarambal, is set in 1920-47, a first in Tamil cinema, says Vasantabalan.
After reading the Tamil book Ennathu Nataka Vazhakkai, Vasantabalan was ready with his script in 2008. But getting an accomplished team together for the filming took longer than he anticipated.
Siddharth plays Kaliappa Bhagavathar, a stage artist based on Kittappa, opposite Vedhika, who is Kanakodi Vadivambal, inspired by singer-actor K. B. Sundarambal.
Anaika Choti (Ram Gopal Verma’s discovery), plays Rangama; Nasser is Sivadas Swamigal, inspired by Sankaradas Swamigal, the father of theatre. Prithviraj plays another stage artist from this group.
“For the first time I was working with actors of large stature and my anxiety was about handling them. I could not teach them acting, unlike in my earlier films, where I would demonstrate every shot and groom my actors,” said the director.
“I told Nasser that I liked his work in films like Nayagan, Kurithi Poonal and Devar Magan, and wanted to extract that kind of performance from him. I wanted to get the best from the others too.”
Nasser suggested the answer lay in creative freedom and involvement. “All the actors subsequently went through rehearsals of every scene, sometime three to four times. During these practice sessions, lines were improvised and performances improved. We took the final shot only when completely satisfied,” said Vasantabalan.
“As a first step, I watched films like Thiruvillaiyadal and Saraswati Sabatham, to understand K.B. Sundarambal,” said Vedhika, noted for her outstanding performance in Paradesi. “Vadivambal is the only woman in the all-man theatre group managed by Sankaradas. Being a stage artist I had to get into the skin of different characters, getting the body language and mannerisms right. It was clearly a tough role.”
Kaaviya Thalaivan is produced by Y Not and Radiance Media and was shot in Madurai, Karaikudi and Thenkasi, A.R. Rahman has scored music. It has been dubbed into Malayalam as Pradhi Nayagan.
