“Even after putting the make-up on, I needed a real-person for inspiration to play the character of Ayya, and that inspiration came from Ooty Mani Anna,” said Vijay Sethupathi about the theatre actor at the pre-release press meet of his new film Seethakaathi. The event was marked by the attendance of all 17 theatre artists who worked on the movie.
Actors Remya Nambeesan, Rajkumar, director Deekay, Vetrimani and G.M.Kumar were also present at the press meet.
Balaji Tharaneenthran, the director of the movie, also held a high opinion about all the theatre artists who auditioned for the movie. “Every drama artist who came for the auditions were tremendous, but we could choose only 17 artists as the script demanded only that much.” The director said that working with these artists has been a huge experience for him.
Seethakathi stars Vijay Sethupati as Ayya Aadhimoolam, a theatre artist turned film actor who has reached the twilight of his life. The makers had released a video showing how the actor achieved the character’s look.
“It’s not simple to get such a look. He (Vijay Sethupathi) would be the first one on the sets and the last one to leave. It takes four hours to put on the make-up and two-hours to remove it,” the director was quoted saying.
Academy Award-winning make-up artist Kevin Haney (Driving Miss Daisy (1989)) was roped in to help finalize the actor’s look. “Since it’s the role of an old person, we didn’t want it to look artificial. Kevin Haney is from Los Angeles and was involved in the initial sculpting work for the look. Alex Noble, another make-up artist, was flown to India for the final look,” said the director.
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The director lauded music director Govind Vasantha for the ‘soulful’ tracks he had composed for the movie.
“Balaji Tharaneetharan is like a mentor and God Father to me. Working in Seethakaathi is a soulful experience. I feel that I have given my best till the date,” said the music director whose work in 96 was appreciated.
Cinematographer Saraskanth T.K. makes his debut with the movie. “I have tried to follow my director’s instructions which were to make the visuals look natural instead of adding too many colours,” he said.
Editor Govindaraj and Art Director Vinoth Rajkumar were also part of the event.
Jayaraman, the producer of the movie said “There are lots of surprises in the film. Expect the unexpected is what I would say about the film.”
Seethakaathi releases on December 21.Watch the trailer of the movie here: