18th century Tamil spectacle Aaravan releasing next week

Aravaan, a large canvas big budget period feature set in the 18th century, is one of the most awaited Tamil films of the year for several reasons. One, it is being directed by Vasanthabalan, a gifted new age director whose earlier films Veyyil and Angaaditheru won huge critical acclaim as well as box office success. Veyyil was also screened at Cannes in 2007. Two, it has been fully shot in digital in Red-One camera by an ace cinematographer who previously assisted Govind Nihalani. Three, except for a few lead characters, the film has about 500 new comers - all slogging it out for more than a year. Four, it has breath-taking action sequences, sweeping landscapes of south India, spectacular sets and a huge array of period properties on display. A few portions are shot in Canon-7D, the same common digital SLR that Danny Boyle used for his 127 hours. Five, and the most important, is that it is a bold new experiment that substantially takes forward the renaissance in the Tamil movie industry, where a new genre of film-making by a band of young directors has been established as a viable commercial proposition. These directors use the latest cinematic techniques, formats, themes and styles that are consistent with the new age world films. [caption id=“attachment_225262” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Still from the movie: Firstpost”] [/caption] For Vasanthabalan, the film is a drastic deviation from the theme and substance of his previous films. If his previous accolades are for focussing on grass-roots themes and the finer details of human emotions, in Aravaan, he has consciously changed to the big spectacle period drama. “I wanted to try a new genre,” he told Firstpost. “I thought it would be a refreshing change for me, and a totally new experience for the audience.” While researching for the movie for a year, he said he could find only 18 drawings or paintings that depicted the life of rural Tamil Nadu in the 18th century, which was a big challenge in designing the costume, lifestyle and the village setting. One massive set in Madurai recreated a tribal village of 100 plus households while another one near Thenkasi has about an equal number of agricultural families. “The contrast of the barren warm look and the greenery will be striking,” he said. The cast, including the lead characters, underwent rigorous fitness regimes for several months to get the right kind of physical appearance. “You will certainly notice it in the visuals. It’s part of the look and feel of the movie. The main character played by Adi has a natural eight pack look.” A highlight that Vasanthabalan likes to mention is a bull-chase that has used 3D performance capturing and computer graphics. “It has come out extremely well. This is the first time anybody has used the technology in India.” Aravaan is based on Tamil writer Su Venkatesan’s Sahithya Academy winning play Kaaval Kottam, which has about 1046 scenes. Vasanthabalan says he took a short story out of the book and developed his screenplay accordingly. The main actors are Aadhi, who will also be seen in Rajini’s Kochadiayaan, Dhansika, Archana Kavi and Pasupathy besides a few cameos. Kabir Bedi is also playing a key role. One of A.R.Rahman’s favourite singers, Karthik, is making his debut as a music director. Vasanthabalan’s debut movie, Veyyil, was an extremely poignant emotional drama set in rural Tamil Nadu. The metaphorical depiction of the scorching sun as the leitmotif, and the intense emotional situations by totally unglamorous actors made the movie an unique visual experience. Produced by the Tamil whizkid Shankar (director of Enthiran), the movie was also a box office hit. His next film Angaaditheru portrayed the lives of the countless rural youth, both girls and boys, who are employed by ruthless discount stores in Chennai. Some of these shops employ hundreds of youth working and living in inhuman conditions. Besides his cinematic acumen, he is also known for painstaking research and perfect execution. Although he has consciously changed his genre with Aravaan, Vasanthabalan says he still emphasises a lot on human emotions. “This movie also has a lot of human emotions and a lot of sun.” Additionally, although it is set in the 18th century, it does have enormous relevance to contemporary life. More images from the film: [caption id=“attachment_225271” align=“aligncenter” width=“620” caption=“Image from the film: Firstpost”] [/caption] [caption id=“attachment_225273” align=“aligncenter” width=“620” caption=“Image from film: Firstpost”] [/caption] [caption id=“attachment_225275” align=“aligncenter” width=“620” caption=“Image from Film: Firstpost”] [/caption] [caption id=“attachment_225281” align=“aligncenter” width=“620” caption=“Image from the film: Firstpost”] [/caption] [caption id=“attachment_225282” align=“aligncenter” width=“620” caption=“Image from film: Firstpost”] [/caption]