After delivering ‘Raavan’ in three languages including Tamil, Telugu and Hindi preceding a grueling two-year long schedule, one would have thought ace director Maniratnam would want to take rest for some more months before moving ahead and launching his next film.
Sources close to the director say that he now plans to launch Gautham, son of Karthik, as hero in his next film titled ‘Pookkadai’. Incidentally, Karthik’s two films with Maniratnam (besides ‘Raavanan’) in ‘Agni Natchathiram’ and ‘Mouna Raagam’ were undoubtedly the turning points of his career in the early nineties. Especially, his cameo in ‘Mouna Raagam’ is still remembered by many.
‘Pookkadai’ would be a Tamil film and won’t be a bilingual or trilingual like ‘Raavan’ or ‘Guru’, the director’s earlier films. Though Karthik had long back decided on a career for his son in Tamil films, he was reportedly waiting patiently for Maniratnam to introduce Gautham. Now that Maniratnam has announced it, Karthik’s joy knows no bounds.
In his final year at a college in Bangalore, Gautham too is extremely thrilled at the prospect of starring as hero in Maniratnam’s film. The film is being planned in not a grand manner but in a simple manner with its strength resting in the screenplay and the treatment by Maniratnam. P.C Shreeram, a regular in Maniratnam’s many films in the nineties, returns as cinematographer in this film with Rehman being retained as the music director.
A formal announcement in this regard is expected soon.
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