''WE TAKE EACH FILM EXPECTING IT TO BE OUR BIG TICKET FILM''

Vaaimai is political satire which has been in the production for quite some time. Now it will finally see the light of the day. This Shanthanu Bhagyaraj starrer is all set to hit the screen tomorrow, 8th of September. In a short and candid conversation with behindwoods, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj opens about why he chose Vaaimai and what’s it about!

What made you choose Vaaimai?

Vaaimai is an experimental film and it is something very new for Tamil audience. We don’t get to see a film like 12 Angry Men here. Vaaimai is our attempt to fill in that void. I mainly wanted to break my chocolate boy tag. It is a complete intense film with no unnecessary romantic track.

So you agree the film is inspired from 12 Angry Men?

Yes, it is inspired from 12 Angry Men and what is wrong in giving credit to the original creator? Plus in today’s online world, the audiences are exposed to a lot of films and they are smart enough to judge where a creation is inspired from. Vaaimai is inspired from 12 Angry Men but it will also have other new elements in it as well.

Did Bhagyaraj sir watch the film? If so, what did he say after watching it?

No, none of us have watched the final output of the film. So even I am eager to see how it has come out.

What’s with the delay? The film has been in production for close to 3 years now. Did you have any issues because of filming for a long time?

We had financial problems, it’s an issue that every unproven team faces. But the major portions of the film were shot in a single stretch and then whenever we got the cash flowing in we sat and worked on things that can be done.

One thing about Vaaimai is that the concept is not time bound. If it releases two years from now also, the audience will still be able to relate to it. It talks about the loopholes in our Indian judiciary system; it vouches for a change that would be for a good cause.

Tell us something about the cast who have worked in the film. Vaaimai was supposed to be Goundamani's comeback vehicle but in the meanwhile he has acted in a couple of films. Will he be doing a comedy role here?

No. Goundamani sir doesn’t play a typical run-of-the mill comedy role here but he will have enough scope to score. Not just him, everyone including my mother will have a fair share of scoring scenes.

Is your big ticket vehicle round the corner?

We take each film expecting it to be our big ticket film but sometimes it doesn’t go our way. Like my father taught me, I will do my job with utmost sincerity and hope to reap for the hard work we put in someday.

Avinash Pandian