‘I always wanted to helm a film relatable to the audience'

CHENNAI: It has been a long day of promotions for the team of Mrs and Mr and yet they were seen with gleaming smiles and high energy levels. Even before Vanitha could enter the premises, she was seen posing for selfies with her fans, who caught a glimpse of her. Over the years, we have known her for her acting skills. Vanitha, donning the director’s hat came across as a surprise to everybody. “Yes, I like all that buzz around the film and being called as Vanitha’s directorial. Without the initial hype all the effort would go to waste. I am glad that our film is being noticed. Also, I am aware of all the talks—both good and bad around the film,” begins Vanitha.

On turning director with Mrs and Mr, Vanitha admits that writing was an impromptu process for her. “ I wanted to make a film where audience come to theatres, leaving behind all their stress. In fact, I am a huge fan of the 1950s sitcom, I love Lucy. I wanted to make a film on those lines. Mrs and Mr is about people in their 40s and how their life revolves around marriage, family and kids. I wanted to make a film with modern sensibilities that will cater to pan-Indian movie buffs. The reason why I made a pan-Indian film that is relatable to the audience with people close to me like Shakeela akka, Kiran Rathod, and Srikanth Deva of course is because no one made films with me or Shakeela akka when we were looking for roles. Now when I am helming a project, I roped in people who supported me during my toughest times,” she elaborates.

Srikanth Deva says that despite winning a National award, he wouldn’t shy away from being a part of films big or small. “As she mentioned, it is not about the scale of the film. It is about working with your friends and of course, Mrs and Mr has a good storyline and gave me scope to deliver good music. I had no inhibitions when Vanitha called me. Before becoming a music director I was assisting appa. He taught me how not to weigh films. Since then all I had in mind was, whichever films I worked in, I have to give them good music with refreshing sounds. Starting from Doubles, I ensure that the quality of sound is good in terms of albums and background scoring. Nothing else matters to me,” says the composer.

Jovika, being a young producer, says that the team finished the movie within the proposed budget. “We have shot the movie in Bangkok and Dubai yet we have finished the film on a decent budget. Also, we were doubling up as production assistants and were also looking after office work. So, there was no pressure as such. Amma too guided me in all possible ways,” she concludes.