An Italian Adventure: The Irumbu Kuthirai Press Meet Report

There were only two things spoken about at the press meet of Irumbu Kuthirai. Mean machines. And, kind men. Atharvaa, the male protagonist in the flick couldn’t stop talking about the many Ducatis and BMW super-bikes he got to ride on the wide, wide roads in Italy, while Priya Anand thought herself lucky to have found a great friend in Atharvaa and cinematographer Gopi Amarnath.

Mean machines, and kind men, see?

Ironically, though, we also learnt that Atharvaa doesn’t own a bike. His mother was quite apprehensive about letting him ride one. “But she had no choice when she heard about the project,” he grinned sheepishly. So, naturally, it was the stuff of his dreams. To ride a super-bike, make the speedometer’s needle hover over 150, and feel the wind in his hair. And when director Yuvraj Bose discussed Irumbu Kuthirai‘s story with the actor, he realised he would be living his dream in the movie.

The Italy leg of shooting thus began; and Atharvaa recalled spending the first five days in the country learning about super-bikes. And, how they work. On the fifth day though, when he rode one for the first time, it felt surreal to the actor. He also remembered having a close-shave while shooting; he almost met with an accident.

Italy was adventurous, alright, smiled the actor. He had to rely on Google Translator to get around the place, and converse in Italian.

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The charming Priya Anand seemed to have known right from the beginning that Atharvaa would become one of her best pals. And then, as a bonus, she struck a chord with cinematographer Gopi as well. So working in Irumbu Kuthirai was more like a vacation with good friends, she said. Priya also “had a blast” sharing screen-space with Raai Laxmi, who dons the role of a racer in the film, alongside Atharvaa.

The actresses then said in unison, “Atharvaa is one of the most hardworking actors in Tamil cinema and he is immensely talented. From making an effort to learning about super-bikes to putting his co-stars at ease, he has been very sweet to us.” Raai Laxmi was particularly proud of having a few things in common with Atharvaa. “We used to talk in Marathi, and we think our families hail from the same place.”

While the trailer and songs of Irumbu Kuthirai suggest a stylish thriller, director Yuvraj Bose declared that the film conveys a message as well. “The protagonist’s life becomes topsy-turvy because he jumps a road signal once. Through this film, we convey the importance of being disciplined while riding,” he said. The filmmaker also revealed that Atharvaa wore a helmet in the sequences where he rides a bike.

Irumbu Kuthirai features GV Prakash Kumar’s music and is produced by AGS Entertainment. Racer Alisha Abdullah and actor Johnny Tri Nguyen will be seen in vital roles.