Report by Priya Saravana, Photos by Dani Charles
Metro, the crime thriller directed by Anand Krishna and starring Bobby Simha, Maya and debutant Shirish, held a press meet earlier this week. The film has been in the news over its scuffle with the CBFC, recently. The movie portrays the phenomenon of chain-snatching and the rising crime rate in metro cities.
It was an interesting event that was a mix of serious discussions and light-hearted banter between the anchor, director, members of the cast, and the press.
They played the trailer at the beginning, which hushed the audience into an impressed silence. Then, VJ Adams, the anchor took over with his characteristic dose of mild mockery, self-deprecation, and corny humour eliciting both, groans and laughs from the audience. Shirish, Maya and, Senrayen from the cast, were present. Shirish spoke about his role as a journalist in the movie and thanked the directors and producers for the opportunity.
Music director Johan’s background score was much appreciated for nicely complementing the macabre tone of the film. The highlight of the press meet was the director’s address. He made a candid presentation of the struggles he faced while directing the film. Asked about the CBFC’s refusal to certify the movie, he admitted it was a trying period for the cast and the crew. Given the violence in the movie, the ‘A’ certification came as no surprise to them. When asked if there was excessive violence, the director clarified that violence was used only because the script demanded it and not out of a need for a morbid aesthetic value. He also insisted that this kind of violence is not new to Tamil cinema. Another journalist – who seemed to be moonlighting as a moral police – asked the director if he was sure the movie would not perpetuate crime. The director explained that it was a work of fiction drawn from existing forms of crime; the movie in no way intends to instruct the public on performing these crimes. If anything, the movie only spreads awareness about these crimes and helps one avoid them, he said.
The movie is scheduled to release on June 24.
