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After many sleepless nights of shooting, the cast
and crew, along with other celebrities, were present
at the Sathyam complex in Chennai on Wednesday for
the audio release of Thoonga Nagaram. Being Dayanidhi
Alagiri's debut production and Gaurav's first directorial
project, Thoonga Nagaram has Vimal, Bharani (of Nadodigal
fame), Nishanth (of Renigunta fame), Anjali and the
director himself playing important roles.
It was a relaxed atmosphere at the venue where the
movie's stars Vimal, Bharani, Nishanth, Anjali and
Madhumitha (in an item number) rubbed shoulders with
directors Gautham Vasudev Menon, KS Ravikumar, Lingusamy,
KV Anand, Ameer, Sasikumar, Samudirakani and the director
of Thoonga Nagaram Gaurav. It is worth mentioning
that director Gaurav was an erstwhile associate of
KS Ravikumar and Maharajan.
70/3000=VN Chidambaram
Director Gaurav delivered the welcome address. Welcoming
and thanking everyone for their efforts towards making
this movie a possibility, he mentioned that there
are 70 new faces in the movie. "We held auditions
for nearly 3000 people out of which 70 people were
selected. Kamala Theatre owner VN Chidambaram was
one of the first finds and he plays the villain in
the movie", he said.
I wanted to be Ameer's taskmaster
Gaurav also revealed that director Ameer has lent
his voice for the trailer and the narration in the
movie, as his voice is loaded with the perfect Madurai
slang. Speaking highly about Ameer, Gaurav said that
Ameer is known for being a taskmaster and gets his
job done to perfection. "I had a chance to take
Ameer to task by making him do repeated takes to get
the slang correctly", Gaurav quipped.
Thanking Dayanidhi Alagiri for supporting him, Gaurav
recalled that Dayanidhi was suffering from high fever
when he narrated the story to him. "He heard
the story and casually agreed to produce it. I didn't
have hopes but was pleasantly surprised when he called
me to his house and gave the advance for the movie",
said a beaming Gaurav.
Sasikumar + Samudrakani + Gaurav = Kutravali
Director Ameer was a happy man addressing the audience.
He said that he had a story titled "Kutravali"
which he wanted to direct but never got a chance to
direct it. "When I watched Subramaniapuram, I
saw the first half of Kutravali in it. I was more
surprised while seeing Nadodigal as it was the second
part of my storyline. When I saw Thoonga Nagaram,
I felt contended that the remaining few portions of
the story has been directed by Gaurav. I'm the proud
owner of the title alone now", Ameer said jokingly.
Madurai makkal 'Paasakaara Pasanga'
Speaking highly about Madurai and the people of the
city, Ameer said that it is apt that he and others
like Sasikumar speak about the great city as it is
known for its kind people. He also said that he is
not boasting about the city but only shedding light
on the facts. "You can spend a whole day having
no money in your pocket in Madurai. One friend will
buy a tea, the next one will buy u a beer, some other
friend will give you company for meals and someone
will take you for a movie. Friendship means so much
to Madurai makkal", said a proud 'Maduraivasi'
Ameer. He also said that Chennai is much different
as it is only full of traffic.
Ameer mentioned about Periyar bus stand and Yanakkal,
which is a vegetable market, as places in Madurai
which operate for 24 hours a day. "So Thoonga
Nagaram is an apt title", he certified.
My camera wants to go to Madurai
Gautham Vasudev Menon spoke at the occasion and praised
the efforts of the cast and crew. He remarked that
there are many in the industry who feels that there
are so many directors and stories which are based
out of Madurai. "But I’m curious to explore
the city and my camera definitely wants to go to Madurai
after watching the works of Sasikumar, Samudrakani
and others", he said.
Please introduce directors like me
KS Ravikumar praised Dayanidhi Alagiri for his sincerity
in introducing so many new faces, he also requested
him, on a lighter note, to give an opportunity for
directors like him too. He appreciated directed Gaurav
for being an active and energetic assistant. "The
only problem is that he speaks a lot", KSR said
amidst smiles and applause.
Gaurav's Australian connection
KSR also said that when they were shooting in Australia
for a sequence when he saw Gaurav speaking casually
with an Australian. "I asked Gaurav how he speaks
Australian English and he said it is just like that.
So watch out for Gaurav. He might be from Madurai
but he is a mix of Hollywood and Bollywood",
KSR said speaking highly of Gaurav.
The heroine of the movie Anjali, producer Dayanidhi
Alagiri, Sasikumar and others also spoke on the occasion.
Director Sasikumar pleaded everyone not to alienate
directors from Madurai from those in Chennai. "We
directors are under the same roof and we must remain
united for the betterment of the industry", Sasikumar
said.
Thoonga Nagaram revealed
The audio of Thoonga Nagaram, which has been scored
by Sundar C. Babu, was released by Linguswamy and
the first copy was received by Gautham Vasudev Menon.
Two songs from the movie were displayed to the audience.
'Kooraana Paarvai' was a delight to watch. With excellent
locations and fabulous camera work, the song was indeed
pleasing to the eyes. Another song 'Thoonga Nagaram'
was also shown. This song was absolutely grand to
watch. The song has been shot during the 'Chithirai
Thiruvizha' held every year in Madurai and will surely
appeal when seen on the big screen.
A set worth 50 lakhs
A look at the trailer and we can fairly understand
what the movie could possibly be. A general talk is
that four youngsters are involved in a killing and
are in a situation where anyone could get killed if
he is caught. When they know their fate (death), will
they be able to sleep? That is Thoonga Nagaram for
you. A set worth Rs. 50 lakhs has been erected in
the river during the 'Chithirai Thiruvizha' in which
nearly 6 lakh people participate every year.
With so many actors, grand songs and wide angle shots,
Thoonga Nagaram will be out soon to thrill us.
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