Report by Janani K
The Puli press meet revealed little despite a barrage of curious questions. Was the film based on a time-machine concept? Does the title ‘Puli’ have anything to do with the Chola dynasty? The team was careful to say almost nothing about the actual story. What we do know is that Puli will be a fantasy film with at least some 3D characters.
The event was presided by director Chimbudevan, cinematographer Natarajan Suramanian, art director Muthuraj, computer graphics (CG) artist Kamalakannan, and producers PT Selvakumar and Shibu Thameens.
Director Chimbudevan highlighted Vijay’s contribution saying that after hearing the story, Vijay had brought in the entire team, and had come up with the idea of pitching the story to producer Shibu Thameens. Vijay also single-handedly approached cinematographer Natarajan Subramanian and narrated the story to him.
Producer PT Selvakumar said that Puli’s powerful script was the reason behind actress Sridevi’s return to Kollywood. Praising Vijay’s humility and talent, he said that Sridevi had also been keen to share screen space with Vijay.
He also dismissed speculations that the film might face delays because of the substantial CG work, and reiterated that shooting was on track at the moment. He said: “Vijay worked for 140 days in the movie, and it will definitely be regarded as his career-best movie. The movie has grandeur oozing out of every frame. The audience can really enjoy this movie with their family.”
Cinematographer turned actor Natarajan Subramanian said he was happy to have worked on Puli, and added that for him art director Muthuraj and CG artist Kamalakannn were the movie’s heroes, along with Vijay. On a lighter note, he added, “I did not sit through the composing sessions with Chimbudevan and Devi Sri Prasad. That’s the only thing I missed.”
Chimbudevan called music director Devi Sri Prasad an ‘energy ball’. He said the entire team would go to him when they were tired, and Devi Sri Prasad would find a way to boost their confidence. Devi Sri Prasad was pleased that the song ‘Yendi Yendi’ had almost reached the Rs.10 lakh mark. The song was a tribute to his inspiration Ilaiyaraaja, he said, and sang a couple of lines for the audience. He added that Ilaiyaraaja’s use of the guitar in romantic songs was masterful, and he had tried to emulate that style in Puli.
Art director Muthuraj said, “Art directors always have a lot of scope to perform whenever a fantasy film comes along”. He added that Chimbudevan, being an artist himself, was able to visualise the movie shot by shot. He was pleased that he had been given a free hand with his work, “There were no major changes in my sketches and I am very glad I signed this film”. CG artist Kamalakannan confirmed that Puli’s post-production work was underway in six countries.
