Karnan, the upcoming Tamil period film starring Dhanush, will release in theatres in April, the makers of the film announced on social media on January 30.
The makers of the film also released a teaser of Dhanush’s character. The film is helmed by filmmaker Mari Selvaraj, who has previously directed award-winning Pariyerum Perumal (2018).
Speaking to Silverscreen India, Selvaraj said, “The announcement teaser that we released has some visual elements that I think, act as visual cues about what the film is about. This can be called a lifestyle film and as a director, I cannot say further, since I want the audience to see the film and take it in. Dhanush has been a comfortable actor to work it and is a boon for directors who is passionate about filmmaking.”
Karnan is produced by Kalaippuli S Thanu, while music has been composed by Santhosh Narayanan.
The film also stars Rajisha Vijayan, Lakshmi Priya Chandramouli, Gouri Kishan, Natarajan Subramaniam (Natty), and Yogi Babu.
Sharing the teaser on social media, Dhanush thanked Kalaippuli for releasing the film in theatres and said that the livelihoods of film exhibitors, distributors, and theatre owners depended on it.
Elated and proud to present the release announcement teaser of #Karnan. Let the celebrations begin!#KarnanArrivesOnApril@dhanushkraja @mari_selvaraj @Music_santhosh @KarnanTheMoviehttps://t.co/4DF1p6P2Hk
— Kalaippuli S Thanu (@theVcreations) January 31, 2021
Talking about the release date, Selvaraj said, “The exact date of release is not decided by the producers. It might release during the Tamil new year, but it is not confirmed yet.”
Earlier, Selvaraj had said that the film’s post-production was in progress and added that Karnan’s team did not want the film’s promotions to clash with Dhanush’s Jagame Thandhiram with Karthik Subbaraj.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, Sandy, who is the film’s choreographer said, “The dance is connected to the story, instead of being a separate element. There is a dance sequence that will be performed during death and Dhanush sir had danced for two BGM [background music] in it. He has perfectly combined it with accordance to the story. Unlike a commercial film like Pattas, which requires heavy dancing, or Rowdy Baby [dance number from Maari 2], in Karnan, the dance goes in parallel with the storyline.”
Talking about his first collaboration with Dhanush, he said, “He has seen me performing on stage and he has been very casual and friendly. He was impressed by me and was very supportive and encouraging.”
Sandy said that there were four songs in the film.
The film was majorly shot in sets in Chennai and in rural areas in Thoothukudi, Kanchipuram, and Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, the choreographer added.
Karnan wrapped up shooting in December 2020.
Tha Ramalingam, who has worked as the film’s art director said, “The film is set in Tirunelveli and is a period film, set in the 90s. We visited the place to understand the town and decided to build a set of a village with about 20 houses and two streets after the natural locations did not work out well. We started to prepare the set work in 2019 and made a miniature model. Since it would be easy to source props, we decided to make it in Tirunelveli itself. Keeping in mind that it is a period film, we took into account the details of small things such as items available in bunk shops to actors who were famous at that time, etc.”
He said that the 200 people took three months to build the sets, the work for which had started from October 2019.
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Speaking about the challenges he faced, he said, “I am from Chennai and I know how to adapt to cultures of the neighbouring districts. However, since I am not aware of the culture in Tirunelveli, it was difficult to understand. A few names of the items are called differently there and it takes time to understand their culture and people. However, it became easy since Mari Selvaraj is from Tirunelveli.”
While Theni Eshwar was in charge of cinematography, editing has being done by Selva RK and lyrics have been written by Yuga Bharathi.
Karnan is latest addition in the list of films that are lining up for theatrical releases. This comes as a much-needed respite for theatre and cinema hall owners, who have been severely impacted by the losses brought about the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. Earlier this year, Vijay’s Master and Silambarasan‘s Eeswaran opted for theatrical releases.