Raajavamsam, the upcoming Tamil film starring Sasikumar and Nikki Galrani in the lead, is set to release in theatres on October 14 on the occasion of Ayudha Pooja.
The film is written and directed by debutant KV Kathirvelu, a former associate of filmmaker Sundar C, who tells Silverscreen India that Raajavamsam will shine a spotlight on joint families.
“Sasikumar plays a person coming from a joint family. He is the 11th child, while Yogi Babu is his nephew. Nikki Galrani plays a team leader in an IT company,” he reveals. The cast also includes Sathish, Vijayakumar, Rekha, Manobala, Raj Kapoor, Singampuli, Thambi Ramaiah, Jaya Prakash, and Chaams, among others.
Kathirvelu says the film comes from a place of “anger” that has been piling up due to the growing distance between family members that he has been witnessing.
“We have faced a lot of tragedies due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But even before this, I feel there has been a disintegration of large families. Due to the world functioning so fast, family members are forced to stay apart for survival and livelihood. They are unable to stay together and spend time with each other. This happened to me personally as well: I witnessed a family member’s death and our relatives could only virtually attend the last rites. Despite earning so much, we can’t even have a meal together,” he says.
“I have made this film to show what we have missed, the joy of living in a joint family, and for those who have not seen or been part of such families. Apart from this, there is also another social issue I’ve dealt with in the film. It is about how the protagonist balances his joint family as well as this issue,” the filmmaker adds.
On directing actor-filmmakers such as Sasikumar, Thambi Ramaiah, and Manobala, Kathirvelu says he found it quite comfortable to work with them since they were able to grasp what he wanted from them and deliver it in one take.
Produced by TD Rajha and DR Sanjay Kumar under Chendur Film International banner, the film was written by Kathirvelu in 2018. It was shot the following year by cinematographer Siddharth Ramaswamy in Pollachi, Chennai, and Thailand.
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Raajavamsam’s post-production is complete and the film has obtained a ‘U’ certificate. The film, which has a runtime of two hours and 20 minutes, is edited by VJ Sabu Joseph. Sam CS has composed the music, including four songs.
According to the director, Raajavamsam is expected to hit about 300-350 screens in Tamil Nadu.
Interestingly, Sundar C’s Aranmanai 3 is also set to release theatrically on the same day. Asked what it is like to see his film release alongside that of his mentor, Kathirvelu says, “It feels really good. I had shown the footage of my film to him (Sundar C), and he has been very appreciative and has put out a good word about it.”
Kathirvelu notes that his next script will also be a family-oriented one, which will focus on three generations of a zamindar family.