Udhayanidhi Sir is a director’s delight: Arunraja Kamaraj
Nenjukku Needhi to be released on May 20
Lyricist/singer/filmmaker Arunraja Kamaraj is all set to release Nenjukku Needhi, the remake of Anubhav Sinha's acclaimed Article 15, with Udhayanidhi Stalin reprising Ayushmann Khurrana’s role in the original.
Arunraja and Udhayanidhi both chose Article 15 from all the scripts which producer Boney Kapoor had. In an exclusive interview, Arunraja, whose first film, the sports drama Kanaa, was a blockbuster, speaks to DC about Udhay’s role, the changes he made to make the movie more appealing for the local audience, and other aspects of this, his second film.
“When we started the shoot, Udhayanidhi Sir had just returned from his election campaign. He was tanned, hadn’t been working out, and had also lost weight. So, he suggested that his character Vijayaraghavan should mostly be in mufti and only occasionally in uniform. The stylist and I made a look test and showed him the frame and he was totally convinced with the transformation,” Arunraja says.
The filmmaker says he has made changes to the original. “I don’t believe in portraying the hero as a larger-than-life character. Udhay
Sir feels the same way. So, he did what was required, and didn’t go overboard. Only subtlety will elevate the scenes and appeal to the masses.”
He adds, “I have made some tweaks, including setting the story in Pollachi in Tamil Nadu to make the adaptation better while doing justice to the original.”
Talking of his experience working with Udhayanidhi, Arunjraja says, “He is very intelligent. He would take the script for the next day’s shoot in advance and come prepared. Even in lengthy shots and dialogues he had clarity and completed them in a single take. And he never improvises. That way he is a director’s delight.
Quiz him about the criticism of Article 15 for having an upper caste protagonist who saves the lives of Dalits, and he replies, “Don’t give colours to goodness. Why do we have to put tags on those who want to do good to society? Any person can do good. Caste, religion or language don’t make a difference in this. A person can’t be judged by birth. That is the soul of Article 15. So, I see this argument itself as being against Article 15 [of the Constitution of India].”