The one minute and thirty four seconds trailer for Merku Thodarchi Malai talks about the life of people who live in the Western Ghats. Antony and Gayathri Krishna essay the lead roles in the film that has music by Ilaiyaraaja.
The film, bankrolled by actor Vijay Sethupathi, veers into thriller territory now and then. A human hand can be seen in a frame. A minute later, we see that the body belonging to the hand has been crushed by a tree. Following this incident, we see things take an ugly turn. The villagers are whipped into a frenzy, and suddenly, life in Merku Thodarchi Malai is not idyllic anymore.
Directed by debutant Lenin Bharathi, Merku Thodarchi Malai is the third production of actor Vijay Sethupathi. In keeping with the theme of the movie, the trailer was launched by daily wage labourers in Koyambedu, Chennai.
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Lenin told Silverscreen that the film was an important one as it showcased the lives of people who had little access to the outside world. “Much of what they have and say and do is determined by the men and women they work for. As a result, their access to the outside world and the government is extremely limited. They have no idea that they can get benefits from the Government. This is sad. I hope that my film changes the conversation about the people who live in such risky terrain.”
Their lives must be documented, Lenin said. “For posterity, if nothing else. They are people of this land too. And they are as interesting as the people of urban areas. Their lives and rituals must be recorded, else, we will lose out on a part of our culture that is ancient and special.”
The film is scheduled to release on August 24th.
Watch the trailer here: