Vijay Sethupathi released the second look poster of Kathir on Sunday, two days after Pa Ranjith released the film’s first look.
Written and directed by debutant filmmaker Dhinesh Palanivel, the upcoming Tamil feature film is produced by Dhuvaraga Studios, a banner formed by eight of the director’s friends.
In conversation with Silverscreen India, Dhinesh, who has previously directed a few short films and is from an IT background, said, “Kathir is a feel-good drama that revolves around the relationship between an old house-owner and a young bachelor, who is her tenant. She is an independent, old woman with a past, and the duo has a Tom and Jerry sort of a relationship. How a bond develops between them when each shares their past with the other is explored in the film. There is also a 1970s period segment in the film, which follows a non-linear screenplay.”
The filmmaker added that there is a message in the film as well.
The cast includes Venkatesh Appadurai, in his debut lead role, as the tenant Kathir, and Malayalam actor Rajini Chandy as the house owner, marking her Tamil debut. The director also revealed that actor Santhosh Prathap, who was last seen in Sarpatta Parambarai, will appear in a pivotal role during the flashback segment.
Dhinesh said that the film is partly based on his own experiences from when he came to Chennai in search of a job, from his native place in Namakkal. “I have taken fragments from my own life and fictionalised some of it to make this film. Previously, I made a short film along the same lines,” he said and added that he began working on the script in 2018.
Kathir went on floors in 2019 and was shot by cinematographer Jayanth Sethu Mathavan in locations such as Chennai, Coimbatore, and Gobichettipalayam. Filming was completed before the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed in 2020. “We shot the period portion at Malliammandhurvam village in Sathyamangalam forest, where there are no roads. We stayed at the villagers’ houses and the people there helped us a lot,” the director added.
Prashant Pillai, a frequent collaborator of Malayalam filmmaker Lijo Jose Pellissery, has composed the music for Kathir. “I approached him after watching Angamaly Diaries. There are five songs in the album,” Dhinesh revealed.
The film, which has been certified ‘U’ with a runtime of two hours and 13 minutes, is edited by Deepak S.
Speaking about the release, the filmmaker said, “We are trying for a theatrical release, but we are okay with OTTs as well. We don’t have a target release date yet.”
Dhinesh said that he has a couple of other stories in mind, but he is awaiting the release of Kathir first to see the response.
