Report by Priya Saravana
The press meet of Vikram Prabhu’s Wagah held at the Prasad lab in Vadapalani, was a very somber event. Directed by GNR Kumaravel, the movie stars actor Vikram Prabhu and actress Ranya Rao in the lead roles. The music is composed by D Imman.
Watch: Wagah Trailer
The press meet started off with the screening of the Wagah trailer, followed by two songs from the movie. While the trailer was grippy and dark in certain parts, the song which followed belied the tone of the trailer – a peppy semi-rural song where Vikram is dancing vigorously; a romantic track followed soon after. After a long moment of silence in the darkness, just when the audience started to wonder if they had trouble finding the light switch in the newly revamped theatre at Prasad lab, a video titled ‘Making of Wagah‘ started playing. Director, GNR Kumaravel, appeared first in the video. With a quirky fondness for short sentences, the director described the movie thus: Love. Adventure. Stunning visuals. Dreamful music. Amazing background score. Risky shots – all these were interspersed against a highly inspiring background score.
Actor Vikram Prabhu next appeared on the screen and spoke about his journey in the film. Initially, he was sceptical about the movie, assuming it would be “artsy” and along the lines of the director’s last movie, Haridas. But exceeding all his expectations, the director presented to him an out and out action-thriller script. A delighted Vikram Prabhu told the director that if he remained faithful to his narration, the movie was sure to achieve a cult status like Roja and Kumkhi.
Praising the director for his perseverance, Vikram Prabhu said that in spite of the long duration the script demanded, the director did not compromise on any of the detailing. Returning the compliment, the director praised Vikram Prabhu for his involvement and his excitement in working on the project since he heard the script. Talking about the technical crew, the director said he was delighted to have had all of them on board. He added that he was inspired to take a film set in the Indian army, by his uncle who works in the air force. “My uncle, a sergeant in the Air Force was my hero during my childhood. He inspired me to do this film”.
Calling Shrinagar one of the most beautiful cities in the world, actor Vikram Prabhu said their shoot in Kashmir was a remarkable experience. With an unpredictable weather, a highly volatile environment, and a difficult terrain, the movie demanded the fullest from both, the actors and technicians.
The director was very adamant that Kashmir should only be a backdrop and not an embellishment in the movie. “We were conscious not to focus on the beauty of the city since Tamil cinema has done plenty of that. We wanted the city only to establish our setting and not to glamorize the movie”, said the director.
Vikram Prabhu works as a part of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in the movie. Referring to his stubble, he clarified that BSF does not abide by the stringent rules that the Indian army follows. With no specific rule about their looks, the BSF is free to sport any look they want.
Director Major Ravi came into the picture when GNR Kumaravel required guidance on shooting in Kashmir. A former Indian Army Major, he forayed into direction after serving in the army for two decades. Calling it a challenging script, Major Ravi gave the director a reality check, telling him what’s feasible and what’s not. Many a time, the cast and crew were accompanied by heavily armed men. “Although it’s a safe place for tourists, it’s not safe for people who the militants perceive to be of value”, said Vikram Prabhu. Since shooting drew attention to them, they were always under security. The director added that there were times when the situations became so tense that they decided to leave the place. He thanked the army personnel and the general for being immensely supportive.
Although the movie is not entirely an army story, the director said that the location was important to preserve the authenticity of the story. He said the movie will not have laugh-out-loud kind of humour, but it will have subtle, feel good kind of humour (this was said against a rather inspirational, patriotic background score. It made their otherwise sober narration a bit compelling).
After the ten-minute long video came to an end, we were all wondering what more could be said of the film. Echoing our thoughts, the director said that there was nothing in particular he wanted to add about the film since he had already said everything in the video.
After that, a brief interaction with the reporters followed. Actress Ranya Rao, addressed the crowd and said that though this was her debut in Tamil cinemas, she had already acted in a Kannada movie, titled Maanikya. Actor Prabhu was also present at the event.
Wagah is scheduled to release on 12 August.
