College Road, an upcoming Tamil film, is written and directed by debutant filmmaker Jai Amar Singh, who previously assisted director I Ahmed on Endrendrum Punnagai (2013). The first look poster of the film was released by filmmaker Pa Ranjith on social media on Thursday.
The film features actor Lingesh, who has done a supporting role in Ranjith’s Kabali, along with Ananth Nag, Akshay Kamal, Monica Chinnakotla, and Bommu Lakshmi.
It is produced by Sarath and Praveen under the MP Entertainment banner.
Speaking to Silverscreen India about College Road, Singh, says, “The film is set in a college backdrop and touches upon an issue with education that students often encounter. It is a commercial thriller, which has elements of romance, comedy, and friendship.”
Singh, who did a course on filmmaking in London, began scripting the film in 2016. “I wrote this script based on the experiences I accumulated during my own education in the UK and the process of applying for it. This particular struggle is not known much outside of the students who actually face the wrath of it. However, I have not preached about the issue. I’ve taken a commercial approach to it,” says the director.
The film’s title is derived from the name of the famous road in Chennai that serves as a link route to various well-known colleges in the city, including Loyola College and Stella Maris College. “College Road is quite famous among youngsters; it links all the bus routes and houses various famous hangout spots. That’s why I chose this title. The college in the film is also set there,” Singh adds.
College Road went on floors in October 2020 in Chennai and was wrapped up in 25 days. It has been shot by cinematographer Karthick Subramaniyan.
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“While the film is set in Chennai, I have tried to show a college similar to one in the UK. I drew inspiration from the film Kadhalar Dhinam (1999) by Kathir, where he has shown a beautiful and advanced college. We shot at an IT company to get the right aesthetics and there was some CGI work involved as well,” says Singh.
The music is composed by OfRo, known for his collaborations with rapper Arivu, and the film features five songs.
College Road is currently in the final stages of post-production and is yet to be certified by the CBFC. The director says it will take about 15-20 days for the final copy to be prepared.
About the film’s release, Singh says, “We are looking for a direct-OTT release and a few platforms have approached us. Once the final copy is ready, it will be sent out to the streamers for preview. We are hoping that a digital release will give us a good reach.”