Writer, the upcoming Tamil film starring filmmaker-actor Samuthirakani in the lead role, is a realistic crime drama about the working class in the police department, says director Franklin Jacob.
The film, which is produced by filmmaker Pa Ranjith under his Neelam Productions banner, along with Abhayanand Singh, Piiyush Singh, and Aditi Anand, is written and directed by the debutant filmmaker.
Franklin, who has worked assisted Ranjith in films like Attakathi, Madras and Kabali, says Writer revolves around this rarely-discussed working class in the police department. “The film stemmed out of that idea, and when I began to research the jobs there that are least talked about, I felt the station writer role was unique and wanted to make that the lead character.”
Samuthirakani plays this station writer. “We tried to rope in a couple of other actors, but they were busy. Then, someone suggested Samuthirikani, who had acted in Kaala. We approached him and he accepted,” says the filmmaker.
The cast also includes Lizzie Antony, VJ Maheshwari, Kavitha Bharathi, and Iniya, among others.
Franklin reveals that he began writing this script when he was still working on Madras (2014). “After completing Kabali, I had another script in the works, which did not pan out. Around the same time, with instances like the Jallikattu protests and Thootukudi riots, I noticed how connected the police is to public and wanted to make a film on them. I did some research and started writing this script.”
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On the research undertaken to ensure a realistic police-related film, he adds, “There have been many police characters in Tamil cinema. So, my aim was to highlight the working class within this government institution. I visited the court everyday to observe police proceedings and understand their relationship. I became friends with those in the department and learned their environment. I also spoke to retired and in-service police officials, writers, judges, and was thus able to write a realistic drama.”
Writer went on floors in December 2020 and was completed in February. It was shot in Chennai, Trichy and Thanjavur by cinematographer Pratheep Kaliraja.
Govind Vasantha has composed music for the film, which includes four songs, while Manigandan Sivakumar has handled the editing.
The film has been certified U/A by the CBFC. Franklin, who has already begun working on his second script, says the team of Writer is yet to make a decision on the date and mode of release.