Nayanthara’s highly anticipated Tamil socio-political thriller Aramm releases in cinemas this Friday. This will be her second release of the year after Dora and interestingly both these projects feature her in leading roles. She plays a district collector in Aramm, directed by Gopi Nainar, and he’s all praise for the actor who gave him the much needed directorial break. In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Gopi said that the film wouldn’t have been possible without Nayanthara. “I may have made the film anyways but it wouldn’t have been so big without Nayanthara. It wouldn’t have got this kind of limelight had she not agreed to be part of this project,” he said.
Quiz him on how he managed to bring Nayanthara, a popular star across southern industries on board and he said, “I had almost given up on the film after being turned down by several producers. Most people felt my story was only suitable to be made as a documentary. I met producer Rajesh through a common friend and he wanted me to narrate the script to Nayanthara. Fifth minute into the narration, she stopped me and said that she will do the project.” Gopi believes it’s his story’s strong social angle that caught Nayanthara’s attention. “She found the social angle in the story relevant even today. Personally, she is also socially responsible and she felt it’d make sense to do this project. She owned the film and made sure that it got made, even while some people tried to stop the film,” he added.
Talking about Nayanthara’s role, he said she will be seen as a fierce collector who has to deal with a life and death situation in a village. “I believe we’ve successfully broken her usual image and I’m sure audiences will like her in this new avatar. When I pitched the story and explained that she plays a collector, she visualised how she has to look in the film. I was really impressed with her level of involvement.” Did that involvement at any point become interference, considering she was a star and can easily call the shots? “Never. Once she commits to a project, she totally surrenders herself to the director and the script. She will deliver what is needed and I can proudly say in the case of Aramm, she pushed herself to the edge.”
{{/usCountry}}Talking about Nayanthara’s role, he said she will be seen as a fierce collector who has to deal with a life and death situation in a village. “I believe we’ve successfully broken her usual image and I’m sure audiences will like her in this new avatar. When I pitched the story and explained that she plays a collector, she visualised how she has to look in the film. I was really impressed with her level of involvement.” Did that involvement at any point become interference, considering she was a star and can easily call the shots? “Never. Once she commits to a project, she totally surrenders herself to the director and the script. She will deliver what is needed and I can proudly say in the case of Aramm, she pushed herself to the edge.”
{{/usCountry}}Gopi hopes the audience will embrace the film as it addresses a very important social issue. “The relevance of the issue can be felt even today. It’s a very powerful film and I believe it’ll create a huge impact.”
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