Report by Priya Saravana, Photos by Sriram Narasimhan
Natarajan Subramanian (Natty)’s Bongu held its press meet at the Old Woodlands Hotel in Chennai on Wednesday. The Sathuranga Vettai actor will star opposite debutante Ruhi Singh and Manisha Shree. The film, in which Natty portrays an urban boy who works in a Rolls Royce showroom, is being directed by debutant director Taj.
At the venue, there was much pushing and shoving between reporters and camerapersons in the cramped hotel space. Meanwhile, the cast and crew leisurely arrived after from their shoot nearby. The press meet began with a ruckus, with one cameraman shouting about the lighting and another shouting that his line of vision was blocked. The cameramen settled down eventually, though not enough to hear the feeble voice of the director, who had already begun to address to the audience. After a few minutes of shushing and shooing, there was, finally, silence.
The (now audible) director, Taj, said that while the title ‘Bongu’ might sound colloquial, the film had a serious plot. The movie had been shot across various parts of Chennai, Madurai, and Ahmedabad, he said.
Natty, with characteristic confidence, implied that Bongu would be a high-octane road thriller, without giving too much away from the plot. He did hint that a car chase would be central, given that by his count, the film uses as many as 25 cars. In fact, a Rolls Royce car is apparently “the second hero” of the film. Calling it a “concept-driven” film, Natarajan said that it would be a “wholesome entertainer”.
A rather cheeky reporter asked the producer if he would buy a Rolls Royce after this movie. The producer jokingly noted down the name of the reporter (from Thinamani), and said he would throw a lavish party if his words came true.
First-time actress Ruhi Singh spoke in a somewhat rehearsed manner, but did seem genuinely thrilled about her role, which she described as action-oriented. Music director Srikanth Deva said that he had deviated from his usual compositions to make “classy music” for the film, seemingly referring to the urban feel of the beats.
When a crew member compared Bongu to Sathuranga Vettai, even going to the extent of saying it could have been titled Sathuranga Vettai-2, Natarajan quickly clarified that Bongu wasn’t connected to Sathuranga Vettai. He added that a sequel to Sathuranga Vettai would be announced soon.
By then, even the cast and crew were visibly sweating from the stifling heat. Debutant producer Thiru aka Raghu of RT Infinity Productions, vehemently apologised to the media for holding them up in such a small space. He excused himself, saying he was from the travel business, and ignorant of the ways of cinema. He also announced his next production venture titled Chatru, directed by debutant director Naveen, an associate of director Radha Mohan. He hinted that more movies would be produced under this banner soon.
Bongu is expected to release mid-September.
