Three decades ago, it was veteran filmmaker Bharathiraja, who was the mastermind behind taking Tamil cinema out of the sets to villages and rural areas. At a promotional event, he heaped laurels on debut director Arun Chidambaram whose attempt to revive the same with his movie Kanavu Variyam — which talks about power-cuts in rural Tamil Nadu. Taking a dig at the present set of filmmakers in K’town, Bharathiraja said, “The current crop of directors are heavily influenced by Hollywood flicks and are good at reproducing them as mafia films. Despite having studied and lived in the US, Arun’s film is rooted in Tamil soil, culture and others should learn from him.”
Speaking at the occasion, Arun stated, “The main aim of the film is to identify people who come up with innovative things and give importance to grass root innovation. I was honoured when Hollywood banner Warner Bros came forward to release it in India.”
Besides writing and directing the movie, Arun Chidambaram also plays the lead role while Jiya debuts as the heroine. The other cast includes Ilavarasu, ‘Black’ Pandy, Gnanasambandan, Yog Japee and Sendhi Kumari. Some others who were present at the event, include ISRO head Sivan, Sirkazhi Siva Chidambaram, Udhaykumar, who designed the Indian rupee note, and weatherman Pradeep John, among others.
