Madras
What it is about…
Studio Green’s K.E. Gnanavelraja presents Madras , written and directed by Pa. Ranjith. The cast comprises Karthi, Catherine Tresa, Rama, Kalaiyarasan, Vinoth, ‘Poster’ Nandakumar, Hari, ‘Mime’ Gopi and Jaya Rao. The first audio was released by actor Suriya and received by veteran actor Sivakumar, Suriya and Karthi’s father. The film portrays the lives of the people living in north Madras.
What they say…
Producer K.E. Gnanavelraja: Actor Karthi who happened to read Pa. Ranjith’s script told us that he was interested in doing the film. I asked director Ranjith to meet the star. The film has come out well.
Director Pa. Ranjith: After my successful movie Attakathi , I wanted to do a film on north Madras. When I sat down to write the script, I did not have any artist in mind. When I heard that Karthi had evinced interest in the role, I was happy. Some changes were made to the script to accommodate him as the hero. I wanted to make the film as realistic as possible. Some of the unit members, including me, are from the Government Arts College. We know that Karthi’s father Sivakumar is one of the best artists (both acting and drawing) of his time. Karthi is the only popular name in the film, while the rest of the actors are new to the screen. This is to lend authenticity to the film.
Hero Karthi: After Paruthiveeran , I was doing more of urban-oriented films. When I saw the script of Madras , I felt like doing it as it is a gritty action drama. Not only will it prove to be a change for me, I also feel that the script has scope for me to showcase different emotions. There is also a brick wall which is an important character in the film. All the co-artists are talented and we attended a workshop to familiarise ourselves with our characters.
Music director Santhosh Narayanan: Ranjith who gave me my first break in Tamil is coming out with a project under a big banner and I was happy to score the music for it. When you share a good rapport with the director, work becomes easy. The re-recording will be the highlight of the film. My favourites in the album are ‘Kakidha Kappal’ and ‘Agayam Theepiditha,’ both of which are sure to win the hearts of listeners.
Music Highlights: There are seven numbers in the album. Two are instrumental versions — they are the ‘Suvar theme’ and the ‘Kaali Love Theme’ performed by The Studio Orchestra of Sydney featuring Pradeep Kumar on the acoustic guitar. Both are pleasant on the ear. The title song ‘Madras’ sung by Hariharasudhan and Meenakshi Iyer is good; it has the ‘Oor Side Artists’ vocal group performing to the lyrics of Kabilan. The lyricist has written another number ‘Agayam Theepiditha’ where guitarist Pradeep Kumar plays as well as sings. Gana Bala has written and sung two numbers — ‘Kakidha Kappal’ and ‘Irandhidava’. “Kakidha’ is one of the hit songs in the album with Sean Roldan, Tholkappiyan and the composer lending vocal support. ‘Irandhidava’ can be categorised under Savu Gana, which is sure to be a hit with the masses. ‘Naan Nee’ written by new lyricist Uma Devi and sung by Shakthishree and Dheekshitha is interesting.
