Pattampoochi, the upcoming Tamil film led by actor Jai and actor-filmmaker Sundar C, is a period investigative thriller which follows a cat-and-mouse game between a criminal and a police officer, the director of the film Badri Narayanan tells Silverscreen India.
The film is set to hit theatres on May 13, and the teaser was released on social media recently. Pattampoochi is produced by Kushboo Sundar under the Avni Tele Media banner.
While Sundar C plays a cop in the film, Jai essays the titular criminal. On casting Jai in a role with negative shades, Badri says that even while writing the script, he wanted a “hero” to take on the role as opposed to a “villain.”
“If a villain does the role, it would be a normal story, but when it is done by the hero, I felt the story will be more edgy,” he explains. “Even while writing, it was decided that Sundar C would play the role of the cop. This story revolves around a psychopath killer, a cop, and a press reporter.” Honey Rose Varghese, who predominantly acts in Malayalam cinema, will be seen in the role of the journalist.
“Usually in crime thriller narratives, there is always an element of ‘whodunit’, which is revealed at the end. In Pattampoochi, Jai confesses to his crimes at the very beginning of the film. Once he has revealed his crimes, the events that unfold follow a cat-and-mouse game between the leads and that is where the story begins,” says the director.
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Badri, who penned Pattampoochi’s story during the pandemic-induced lockdown, says he wanted to make “a film in an offbeat genre.” He adds, “It is very easy to nab a culprit, especially in these times and with the technology that is available. One interesting element is that this film is set in Chennai in the year of 1989, when technology was not very advanced. Human intelligence mattered for solving crimes during that period.”
Pattampoochi went on floors in mid-2021 and was shot in Chennai and Puducherry by E Krishnasamy. It has been edited by Fenny Oliver. The music is composed by Navneeth S, and there is only one song in the film. “Aside from this, there will be an element of gaana music that takes place inside a jail. Jai has composed it himself and his uncle, music composer Deva, has sung it. The film is currently in the final stages of postproduction,” Badri notes.