The teaser of Buffoon, the upcoming Tamil film led by actor Vaibhav Reddy, was released via social media on Monday. Presented by Karthik Subbaraj under the Stone Bench Films banner, Buffoon is an action-drama about theatre artists, says director Ashok Veerappan.
Ashok, who has written and directed the film, is a former associate of Subbaraj and has worked with him on Pizza, Jigarthanda, and Iraivi.
Speaking to Silverscreen India about the upcoming film, Ashok says, “Buffoon revolves around a family, where both the father and son are stage actors. It is an action drama set against this backdrop, that concentrates on the problems that the duo encounters in their personal lives. The title refers to the character of the ‘fool’ that the protagonist takes on in the plays.”
Aside from Vaibhav, the cast of Buffoon also includes actors Anagha, Joju George, Aadukalam Naren, Moonar Ramesh, Aadukalam Jeyabalan, and folk singer Anthakudi Ilaiyaraja, among others.
“The film also features a handful of real-life theatre artists. The father’s role is played by Madurai MP Vishwanathan, a senior rajapart (main lead in a play), who has over 40 years of experience,” says Ashok.
The filmmaker shares that his interest in theatre artists prompted him to write Buffoon. “I started writing the script in 2016 and met artists from Madurai Nadaga Sangam, Karaikudi Nadaga Sangam, and others to understand their profession as part of my research.”
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The film is set in southern coastal Tamil Nadu, adds Ashok. Production began in late 2019 and Buffoon was shot in Rameshwaram, Karaikudi and Chennai in Tamil Nadu, and Kollam in Kerala, by cinematographer Dinesh Purushothaman. It was wrapped up in 2021 after several delays due to the pandemic.
The music is composed by Santhosh Narayanan and Ashok says that the album will have four songs of different genres and styles.
The film is produced by Kaarthekeyen Santhanam, Sudhan Sundaram, and Jayaram, and the date and mode of its release have not yet been decided by the makers.