Kodiyan, the upcoming Tamil feature film written and directed by cinematographer-turned-director Tony Chan, is an action thriller that revolves around an inter-caste marriage, says the filmmaker in a conversation with Silverscreen India.
The first look poster was recently released by filmmaker Pa Ranjith.
Tony Chan, who has worked as a cinematographer in Moodar Koodam (2013) and the upcoming film Pei Pasi, is making his directorial debut through Kodiyan. Calling the film a “hardcore thriller,” he explains that it is about an inter-caste couple that elopes to a hill town.
“Their marriage gets disrupted when the girl is abducted. The rest of the film is about how the husband saves her. The thriller element comes from the fact that he has to save her within three days, otherwise she will be killed in captivity. There are a lot of layers to it, and I have not used deliberate or straight-forward dialogues to talk about the underlying caste issues. But it will come through in the subtext.”
The script has been written by Tony in association with his brother Raj. They began working on the script about seven years back. “While the story is not based on any one particular event, it is a compilation of multiple true events. All the situations that are shown have happened in one way or the other,” says the director.
Produced by Nehru Nagar Nandhu and Badri Narayanan, Kodiyan features a cast that includes Yog Japee, Nivas Adithan, Victor Prabakar, and Nithya Shri, who have all previously done supporting roles.
The film was shot in Kodaikanal, Ooty, Chennai, Coimbatore, Pollachi, and several pockets of Tamil Nadu in 2019. “We shot in such places to give it the feel of a bone-chilling thriller,” says Tony.
The music of Kodiyan is composed by Kaber Vasuki, who has also written the lyrics for the two songs featured in the film. “Both of them are montage songs,” adds the director.
The post-production has been completed and the film’s runtime is two hours and 20 minutes, he reveals.
Recommended
Tony adds that the team is looking for a theatrical release. “While the film does not have the proverbial star value, I feel it will work out in theatres and create a sensation. It might not have a grand opening, but once it’s released, word of mouth will bring in the audience,” he opines.
Tony is next working on a female-oriented commercial entertainer. “The script is already complete, and it includes drama, comedy, and other elements. I am looking for a strong star cast for that film,” he reveals.