The teaser of Echo, the upcoming Tamil film starring actors Srikanth and Vidya Pradeep in the lead roles, was released by Vijay Antony and R Parthiban on social media on Friday.
The one-minute-30-second teaser does not feature any dialogues and debutant filmmaker Nawin Ghanesh tells Silverscreen India that it was specifically cut that way because the film is a “sound-based psychological thriller.”
Written and directed by Nawin, Echo is produced by Rajasekar and Haroon N, with Nawin and VM Munivelan serving as co-producers.
Speaking to Silverscreen India about the film, the filmmaker adds, “It is about how a husband and wife get disturbed due to some sounds and what is happening behind all this. Srikanth plays an IT professional. He has a love story in the flashback as well as a family-man look in the film.”
Nawin reveals he has adopted a non-linear narrative. “There will be zig-zag of flashbacks and the current time. There is no gradual upward curve of thrilling elements in the film. Within the 4 or 5th minute, there will be a high point, which will be followed by cuts backward and forward with highs and lows throughout.”
Besides the lead actors, Ashish Vidyarthi also features in a pivotal role. Echo marks the actor’s comeback to the Tamil film industry after six years. He was last seen in En Vazhi Thani Vazhi in 2015.
“He essays the role of a sorcerer and is a positive character in the film. I was told that he had not been doing any Tamil films in recent times because he had been getting only stereotypical roles. However, once he heard the story of Echo, he came down to Chennai and joined us immediately,” says Nawin.
Other cast members include Pooja Jhaveri, Kaali Venkat, Srinath, Kumki Ashwin, Delhi Ganesh, and Praveena.
In 2016, Nawin made a short film with the same story. “I did not think of making it as a feature film because I didn’t think there was enough content for a full-length film. I was actually supposed to make my debut with a big film, but due to the pandemic, that did not materialise. That was when we decided to do Echo.”
The film went on floors on October 5, 2020, and was wrapped up in March. While the story is set in Chennai, Echo was shot in Chennai and its surrounding areas, as well as Puducherry, by cinematographer Gopinath. The film will predominantly feature shades of green, the filmmaker mentions.
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“We have used some new sounds in the film,” says Nawin, adding that Ayyappan and Sethu are in charge of the audiography and sound design, respectively. Echo also features three songs, composed by Naren Balakumar and the filmmaker reveals that the songs will be out soon.
The film is edited by Sudharsan and runs for one hour and 50 minutes. It is currently in the final stages of post production with CGI and re-recording work in process. “The film will be ready by the first week of August and should be out soon after,” the filmmaker adds.
Nawin says the makers are yet to decide on the mode of release and are currently open to both OTTs and theatres. “Personally, I feel it is safe for small and medium budget films to release on OTTs. Unlike the past when OTTs were looked down upon, nowadays even big films are releasing on streaming platforms. I feel it is a safety net for people like us.”