Vasanthabalan, Sriya Reddy and Bharath interview: On ‘Thalaimai Seyalagam’ and reuniting after ‘Veyil’
(Originally published in The Hindu on May 15, 2024)
Remember Sriya Reddy as the tender-hearted Pandiyamma in filmmaker Vasanthabalan’s breakout 2006 hit drama Veyil? And Bharath as the doting brother and angry young man Kadhir? Even 18 years since its release, Veyil is still fondly remembered among Tamil audiences. And now, ZEE5’s upcoming political-thriller series Thalaimai Seyalagam has reunited the trio.
“Actor Pasupathy was also supposed to play a character in this series… which would have made it a complete Veyil reunion,” says director Vasanthabalan, who serves as the series creator, as he reminisces about the film that catapulted him to the limelight. “It’s close to my heart because it isn’t just my story, but it’s also the story of my hometown Virudhunagar,” he says.
Sriya says she feels proud of having been part of a film that is now considered a classic. “I could do anything beyond that, but people will still go back to it, saying ‘You did Veyil, right?’” Bharath calls it one of those few films in an actor’s filmography that is spoken about repeatedly over the years. “I don’t know if I will ever get to play a character like Kadhir from Veyil again.”
For Bharath, it was the….
Read the full interview here: