Arunraja Kamaraj on directing Nenjuku Needhi, the Tamil remake of Article 15: 'It will make people think what is right and wrong'

He is not just a director but also an actor, singer and lyricist. Releasing on 20 May is director Arunraja Kamaraj’s second directorial Nenjuku Needhi, the Tamil remake of the hit Hindi film Article 15. Udhayanidhi Stalin reprises Ayushmann Khurrana’s role. In this conversation with Firstpost, the director talks about the Tamil remake and what the audience can expect from this film revolving around caste-based oppression and discrimination. What were your thoughts when you were first offered this film? My wife, Sindhuja, and I saw the Hindi film Article 15 together at home and we really liked it. It was emotionally moving. When I got the opportunity to direct it in Tamil, I was really happy. The Hindi film was both critically and commercially a success. Were you nervous at all since the Tamil remake would evidently be compared to the Hindi film? Any film or story we adapt, it is the content that is important. Do we understand the content - that’s the crux. I didn’t feel nervous because we would be customising the content for our audience. We took the main storyline and made changes to the screenplay and there is localisation. We have introduced new characters, scenes and dialogues in the Tamil remake. The narrative pattern is also different. Udhayanidhi has mostly done lighter roles; as a director, did you think he could pull off this intense role? As a director, I think it is important to extract the performance from the artist and think about how we can narrate the story through them. We can’t be close-minded and say only X or Y can do a certain role. Udhayanidhi definitely fits the role and I think any actor can do justice to the role if it is told right and the right performance is extracted from them. I had confidence that we could narrate this story through him - I had 0% hesitation. In fact, I had wanted to work with him before I did Kanaa and I was ecstatic that he had watched it and wanted to work with me. Nenjuku Needhi is about caste discrimination. Article 15 of the Indian Constitution prohibits discrimination on any grounds. One thing I always say is that intentions determine the crime and in this film it’s not just about caste pride. It’s about how caste and prejudice lead to crimes. Will Nenjuku Needhi make people think about this? It will definitely make people think and it should, irrespective of what has been taught to you by your family over generations, at some point you will reflect and think about what is right and what is wrong. We determine what is right and wrong when we see things closer to us. Cinema is a third person’s perspective but only when they find themselves in such a situation will they react and understand what is what. If people are open-minded then they will reflect on what is being narrated. How did you end up naming the title of the film after Kalaignar Karunanidhi’s (Udhayanidhi’s grandfather) autobiography? The film is about law and society, and what is equal to all is law. We might each have our own perspective on what is right and wrong but law is equal for all citizens. Nenjuku Needhi means justice to the conscience and this was apt for this film. Nenjuku Needhi releases in cinemas on 20 May Latha Srinivasan is a senior journalist based in Chennai. Her passion is entertainment, travel, and dogs. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.