Director Panneerselvam, who made his debut with the blockbuster movie Renigunta, went into oblivion after his subsequent 18 Vayasu, which proved to be an average grosser at the box-office. He is now bouncing back with a Vijay Sethupathi movie Karuppan, set in a rural milieu of Theni and its surroundings.In an exclusive to DC, Paneer opens up about the film.
On the title, the director says, “Sethupathi plays the titular role of Karuppan and it is the name of family deity for the people of Theni and its nearby villages. While we were shooting there, a lot of people would throng the location to get a glimpse of Sethupathi. When they got to know the title of the film, their immediate reaction was ‘Oh, then the movie would be a huge hit!’”
Sethupathi’s role seems to be something he has never done so far. “The movie is a family drama set against the backdrop of the traditional valorous Tamil sport jallikattu. Sethupathi essays a bull-tamer and romancing him is Tanya in the movie,” he reveals.
The director also claims that till date, no one has attempted a film completely based on jallikattu — “We have also shot the real jallikattu sport in the movie.” He confirmed that they had taken all the relevant permissions from Animal Welfare Board before commencing the film.
So, how different is Karuppan from other movies? “Normally, in Tamil cinema, the hero and the heroine would romance, run around trees in dream songs, etc. Here, the love starts only after the lead pair get married! And, I personally feel the biggest romance happens only after one gets into marital bliss.”
Heaping praises on Sethupathi, he said, “The highlight of the movie is its high-octane action blocks by master Rajashekar. Having been enthralled by the script, Sethupathi did all the risky stunts himself, without a double. Being a perfectionist, he was ready for the retakes without any hesitation. You will feel the ‘magic’ on screen when you watch it.”
After screen-testing many, they zeroed in on heroine Tanya, he discloses. “Though she had auditioned at the end, I felt she was the perfect choice and without wasting time, we finalised her. She has done a great job and she has a bright future.”
Responding to our query about roping in Bobby Simha for a negative role, he says, “It is not the typical villain role. But yes, there is an intriguing factor to his
character.”
