Report by Sanjana Chakraborty, Photos by Dani Charles
On Wednesday morning, the hall at Green Park Hotel on Arcot Road, Chennai, was brimming with people dressed in their best. A fog machine puffing out mist into the fancy pink-purple lights said ‘special effects’. There was hot food arranged on tables, right outside. The whole ensemble felt like a high-class wedding reception – to the those who failed to notice the giant film poster outside the hall. The audio launch of KS Ravikumar’s forthcoming film, Mudinja Ivana Pudi was all grandiose and glitz.
KS Ravikumar, the director behind classic hits such as Muthu (1995), Padayappa (1999), and Panchathantiram (2002), had organised the audio and trailer launch of his film. The Kannada version of the film, Kotigobba 2 is also directed by him. The cast and crew of the film were present with their friends and family. Yet it was incomplete as important cast members Nithya Menen the female lead, Prakash Raj the villain, and Nasser gave the event a miss.
The prelude to the official event was the arrival of A-list actors from Kollywood sending the photographers into a flurry. Dressed in blue and all smiles for the cameras were the Vada Chennai duo Dhanush and Vijay Sethupathi, who were guests at the event along with actor Sivakarthikeyan. The other guests included veteran actor Delhi Ganesh and actor-director Bhagyaraj.
They played the trailer and music for the guests. This was followed by the usual expressing of gratitude and praise and some light-hearted banter by the director. “I had actually visited Kamal Haasan Sir long ago to invite him to the event. He agreed and we discussed Sabaash Naidu and Vishwaroopam 2. Sadly, he couldn’t make it today. But, inviting Dhanush and Vijay (Sethupathi) was easy. I called them up and they said they’d be here,” he said, grinning at the actors.
D Imman and Madhan Karky took turns to invoke god and welcome Sudeep to the Tamil industry, respectively, in their speeches.
Sudeep, who has been working in the Kannada film industry for nearly 20 years, makes his debut as a hero in a Tamil film with Mudinja Ivana Pudi. Known for his serious-action films, Mudinja Ivana Pudi‘s trailer shows him indulging in cheesy romance with his onscreen lady love (Nithya Menen), while at the same time kicking butts dressed in a leather jacket and sporting Ray-Bans. Going by the trailer, most guests predicted that te film would be a hit.
After the 2-hour long speech session, the film’s audio was officially launched.
Here are the highlights of this section:
- KS Ravikumar, raised a point about film reviews that many filmmakers have been discussing on Twitter recently. “These days, everybody reviews films. The whole point of watching a film is about going to the theatre with no expectations and enjoying it, without spoiling it for others. With the internet now, most review the films while they’re watching the film,” he said.
- Sivakarthikeyan and D Imman spoke about a soft-spot for the hall where the audio launch was happening. “Just like Imman, I too had my wedding reception in this very same hall. Standing before everybody takes me back to that time,” said Sivakarthikeyan.
- Vijay Sethupathi professed his love for Sudeep the minute he saw him months ago at an event. “I saw him and I couldn’t get over the way he carries himself. Fell in love with him. But more than a good actor, I have to say that Sudeep is a good human being. Welcome to the Tamil industry, Sudeep,” he said.
- Sudeep spoke English admitting he was nervous about speaking Tamil in front of everybody. “I gathered all my guts to speak Tamil, but [lost it] after watching everybody speak,” he said, subtly taking a dig at the speed at which comedian Sathish talks.
Produced by MB Babu, the film is slated for a mid-August release.
