Cigar-smoking Radhikaa creates big buzz

 Smoking scenes involving big stars like Rajinikanth, Vijay and Dhanush have invariably invited criticism and triggered the  wrath of self-styled patrons of moral policing and politicians. Defying such adverse reactions to smoking on screen, the actress  Radhikaa Sarathkumar has taken a new avatar in her upcoming action-comedy-fantasy film Market Raja MBBS where she  plays a cigar-smoking toughie from North Chennai.

Posters adorning city walls of Radhikaa are sure to stoke controversy on the smoking issue all over again. Ace director Saran, however, tells DC that it was Radhikaa’s character in the film of Sundhari Bhai, a don from North Chennai who controls the Perambur area, that demanded smoking scenes and it was not a put-on act just to draw attention to the film. “It is a creator’s freedom and I am showing only what is prevailing in the society.  Also we carry the anti-tobacco statutory warning each time a smoking scene appears. Let the government put a ban on selling tobacco products, which will help in this matter.”

He says on Radhikaa’s role, “She is the biggest plus to the film. Having seen her performance at close quarters as the female don, I would call her the ‘female version of her illustrious dad and most versatile villain of Tamil Cinema - M.R. Radha.’ Initially, she suffered from having to smoke a cigar and was coughing. But once the cigar comes to her lips, she totally transforms in terms of her body language, diction etc. and we can virtually see M.R. Radha in her. She has brought so much authenticity to the character she portrayed.”

Arav of Bigg Boss fame plays Radhikaa’s son in the titular character. He is ‘Market Raja’, a railway contractor and eccentric rowdy. “Though I was worried of his lover boy image initially, it was like a cakewalk for him when he actually performed the thug character,” Saran reveals.

Kavya Thapar, who has acted in Tollywood films, debuts as his pair. Rohini does a vital role. An impressive list of support artistes include Nasser, Sayaji Shinde, Pradeep Rawat, Yogi Babu, Chaams, Prabhakar of Baahubali fame and Devadarshini. While Simon King composes the music, Saran’s brother, ace KV Guhan, has been brought on board for camera.

As his production venture Muni with Lawrence in the horror genre series going places in the Kanchana franchise, we ask Saran as to how he feels and he replies. “12 years back, when horror comedy  was a rarity in K’town, I smelt this genre would click and made Muni. It has become so big now and I am so proud of it.”

The title of the film may be evocative of Kamal Haasan’s poplar movie Vasool Raja MBBS, but the new movie has nothing to do with it.