Filmmaker Selvaraghavan has begun a new chapter in his career by playing the lead role in the Tamil movie Saani Kaayidham. Written and directed by Arun Matheswaran, the revenge drama follows a brother and sister, who go on a killing spree after being subjected to a heinous crime.
The unrelenting acts of violence in Saani Kaayidham were hard to watch. But, Selvaraghavan believes that there is more to the film than blood-splattered imagery.
“Violence is an emotion, like love. We all are violent. That’s human nature. This movie is like that. It is about what happens when two people are pushed to their edge. Normally, we take it (lying down). Adjust and live with it. But, this time, two people give it back. We don’t have to brand it as a violent film,” Selvaraghavan told indianexpress.com.
“Some atrocious things happen to a person, and we all expect the person to give it back. This is that kind of a film. Also, the emotion between brother and sister is conveyed really beautifully. There are countless things in the movie like that,” he explained.
Selvaraghavan is glad that Saani Kaayidham garnered positive reviews from critics and the audience alike. “I was nervous. But I am happy people have received it well. A lot of people have seen it and loved the film. That’s the most important thing about a film,” he added.
Despite the film being his first acting venture, Selvaraghavan looked effortless as a caring big brother, who is set to make great sacrifices to ensure his sister gets her revenge on those who wronged her.
“All credit should go to the filmmaker. Arun gives all actors space and freedom to perform and do their best. That’s what I loved about the film. All actors tried to do their best. The success of an actor is when you see the movie and you don’t realise he or she is acting. That’s the magic,” he said.
Selvaraghavan also seemed at ease with action sequences. Especially, the climax fight which resembled the all-out attack that Dhanush’s Kokki Kumar mounts in the climax of Selvaraghavan’s cult classic Pudhupettai. However, the actor-filmmaker revealed that he was focused on getting his act right and he had no time to notice the similarities between the two movies.
A still from Saani Kaayidham. (Photo: Amazon Prime Video)
“Dhilip Subbarayan pushed all of us to our edge. That climax was very tough to shoot and execute. All the credit should go to Dhilip master,” he added. “Dhanush always told me that I will realise one day how difficult acting is. After this movie, I know now. He also reminded me of that.”
Selvaraghavan is now busy with the post-production of his directorial Naane Varuven. The film stars his brother Dhanush in the lead role, marking their professional reunion after a gap of more than a decade. Their last film together was Mayakkam Enna, which came out in 2011.
“Dhanush has grown a lot as an actor between Mayakkam Enna and Naane Varuven. He prepares very hard for his role. It makes it easy for the director. It will help make a different kind of film, rather than making it just from a director’s point of view alone,” he said.
Selvaraghavan has also acted in Naane Varuven. “It was a last-minute call. I was forced to do it as the actor didn’t turn up. To save money and time, I did it. There was no planning.”
