Mari Selvaraj on ‘Maamannan’ and the art of immersing the audience in his world
(Originally published in The Hindu on June 23, 2023)
A lot may be on Mari Selvaraj’s mind, as the clock inches towards the release of his much-anticipated film, Maamannan. The controversy surrounding his speech about Thevar Magan at the audio launch could be clouding his thoughts too. But it’s how the film will meet humongous expectations that makes him nervous, he says. “Because we’ve turned something important into a topic of discussion, and important people like AR Rahman, Vadivelu, Fahadh Faasil, and Udhayanidhi have contributed to it”. Yet, in this freewheeling chat, he brims with confidence and calm as he talks about all things Maamannan, which releases on June 29.
Excerpts…
Mari, you spoke about Esakki, Vadivelu’s character from Thevar Magan, at the audio launch. Is the character Vadivelu playing in this film an inspiration of sorts?
I was talking about how Esakki, and Vadivelu sir’s acting, made a lasting impression on me. Maamannan doesn’t take anything from Esakki. I was talking about how my film has been made keeping Vadivelu sir in mind. After Thevar Magan, he didn’t make an intense film like that, so you can’t write a film without referring to it and we need to see how he acted in that film.
Casting Vadivelu, Fahadh Faasil, and Udhayanidhi Stalin in these roles seems off-beat. How did you choose your actors for this film?
When we decided to make this film, we realised that choosing the right actors is important. We need actors who will strengthen the character beyond my capability. When I spoke about the two lead roles, Udhay sir was taken aback when I suggested Vadivelu sir. I had immense confidence that he’d do justice to this character. We didn’t know if…
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