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'I am not driven by the genre of the film': Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi on returning to rom-com with Kadhalikka Neramillai

Jan 23, 2025 08:12 AM IST

Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi talks about her new film, Kadhalikka Neramillai, why she doesn't see genres, and how her husband Udhayanidhi Stalin reacted to it.

Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi seems to have found her niche in Tamil cinema with her fourth directorial. Kadhalikka Neramillai, starring Nithya Menen and Ravi Mohan, was released for Pongal and has been appreciated by critics and audiences alike for being fresh, bold and pushing the boundaries. Happy with the film’s reception, Kiruthiga, the wife of Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister, Udhayanidhi Stalin, and daughter-in-law of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, is down-to-earth and acknowledges that she still has a lot to learn as a director. In this exclusive chat with Hindustan Times. Kiruthiga opens up about the film, Udhayanidhi and more. (Also read: Kadhalikka Neramillai review: This Ravi Mohan-Nithya Menen starrer is a charming, breezy new age romance)

Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi is coming up with her fourth film, Kadhalikka Neramillai.
Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi is coming up with her fourth film, Kadhalikka Neramillai.

Your latest film, Kadhalikka Neramillai, is a very urban romance drama. Did you ever think about how the mass audience would react?

I just thought that this was a great story to tell at this point though this was a story I had thought of a while back. It is more relevant today than earlier and has a love story. Maybe the fact that there is a love story where love always conquers everything though you know the wants or the needs keep changing, the setting keeps changing, love still remains strong. I didn’t look at the commercials or whether it would cater to the masses and I think that was a good thing because if I had then it would have become a different story.

How did you decide to cast Ravi as Siddharth?

I think the fact that Nithya and Ravi have not been paired together was novel and Ravi was also invested in the story. You don’t find that many actors who take up a storyline like this where there’s equal weightage for both the hero and heroine, and it is different from the regular films, which have a lot of action and violence. I think Ravi was also brave enough to say okay, let's try this and give the audience something new. So, I think it is just the actor's sensibility that worked.

Your debut film Vanakkam Chennai (2013) was a rom-com and your next film Kaali (2018), an action drama. Kaali wasn’t well received so did you decide to go back to rom-coms?

I am not at all driven by the genre of the film when I think of a story and write it. I think of it probably only when it’s due for release, and people start putting it under those labels. All my movies, if you see, are always drama-driven and driven by emotions. Even Kaali was about emotions – it was about an adopted child struggling with his own identity and trying to find his roots. Maybe for that film, the dots did not connect with the audience, but the film gave me a different perspective on what I should work on in the future in the scripts, the actors and everything else. It’s been a great learning experience, even from the mistakes.

Both your web series Paper Rocket and Kadhalikka Neramillai were beautiful visually. Was that an aspect you worked on consciously?

I think so - this is also part of the learning process, right? I’m very passionate about my stories and filmmaking. When I did my first movie, I was inexperienced or didn't have more worldly knowledge or exposure to more world cinema and so on. Now, I watch critically acclaimed and foreign-language films. I see what they're getting right. I talk to directors here to understand what we can do better at making a film, and my learning process is better. With age and wisdom, you get a bit more clarity on what you can do better for the project. I still feel like I don’t know filmmaking and want to join film courses.

You’ve spoken about how Nithya Menen is a wonderful and unique talent, a gift for directors.

It was a delight to work with her, and she nailed it with the character of Shriya. You write a character from your imagination, and then somebody brings it to life even better than you expected. That's the best part. We became great friends and were in great sync with our sensibilities and understanding of life. It was like two friends working on the sets. Next time, when I’m looking to cast for my film, I’m always going to look for Nithya, and it’s going to be very difficult for me to really get that kind of calibre.

Were you particular that AR Rahman should score the music for this film?

How will I answer this question? (laughs) I think the fact that AR Rahman said okay to my script was a big thing. Being a filmmaker, this was one of the high points in my life. We all live for that moment to do a film with AR Rahman’s music. I think for every film after this, I am going to be particular that Rahman should say okay to it. Working with AR Rahman, Nithya Menen, and Ravi set the bar high, and I felt the responsibility that I should deliver a good product, which they’ll also be happy about.

What did Udhayanidhi say when he saw Kadhalikka Neramillai?

Udhay was pleasantly surprised and happy. (Smiles) Even Paper Rocket surprised him. Udhay said, ‘you look like you’re just sitting around and doing nothing. Did you really write this and shoot it?’ I think that's the impression I give - very chilled out. I'll never fuss about anything. The whole family, including, my father-in-law (Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin) saw the film the day before the release and liked it. I knew it wasn’t like a traditional Tamil film and what was delivered at the end was more than what I expected. They were my first audience, and when they received it well and said it was really nice, I became more confident.

Udhay is Deputy Chief Minister and extremely busy with politics. Do you still spend as much time together?

I think we actually spend more quality time together now because we’re both busy. I think we are more respectful and more appreciative of each other. Earlier, both of us weren’t that busy; we used to be together a lot and took spending time together for granted. Today, making time in our busy schedules has become essential and I feel it’s working. I tell my friends when they crib about marriage or their partners that if you keep really busy, then you consciously make time for each other and that works better. This is my new relationship mantra!

Have you thought about your next film?

Yes, I have written it already! I have this habit of scripting my next film when I’m working on the current one. It’s actually in a very quirky space – it’s not a rom-com. I think by now you realize all my movies are always tapping into human emotions, right? We'll be pushing the boundaries on the next one as well.

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