Exclusive! Arisil Moorthy: For OTT releases, we get to know the feedback from the audience only from social media

Arisil Moorthy, who is making his directorial debut with Raame Aandalum Raavane Aandalum, is quite content as he feels his dream of making a realistic movie has come true. The film, which has Mithun Manickam and Ramya Pandian playing the lead roles, will have a premiere on Amazon Prime Video, on September 24. The recently released trailer and songs have escalated the expectations on the project which is set against the backdrop of a rural setting.

The film's plot, which revolves around a young couple whose bulls go missing, has already evoked interest among movie buffs. In a chat with OTTPlay, Moorthy talks about how he came on board as the director of the film, which is produced by Suriya's 2D Entertainment Pvt Ltd, selection of artists and releasing the film on the leading OTT platform.

Your first film is bankrolled by a big star like Suriya. Tell us how the project shaped up and how excited you are...

I had worked in Suriya sir's Soorarai Pottru earlier, and I knew Rajsekar Pandian, the director of the production house which bankrolled the project. One day, I told him about a script I had written and requested him to listen to it. But he replied that the banner was busy with seven projects, and that making another movie was not in their plans then. I asked him if he could read my script and recommend me to some other production house. A few days later, he surprised me saying that 2D Entertainment could produce the movie. I narrated the script to Suriya sir, too, and he really liked it. He encouraged me a lot and said the story can be filmed in better ways than I had imagined.  

We often come across several incidents of bulls going missing from different parts of the country. Is this story based on any such real incident?

Not really. I was born and brought up in a rural village near Theni. I knew a person who lived a good part of his life with around 15 bulls with him. He used to spend his time from morning till evening with them; he would talk to them, eat with them and even sing songs to them. He was the inspiration for creating the protagonist's character. I wanted to do a realistic film on the lines of Peepli Live, without a tinge of cinematic artificiality. This film is a combination of some of my experiences and a few people and incidents I have witnessed in my life.

How did you decide on Mithun Manickam and Ramya Pandian as the lead characters of the film?

I was on the lookout for newbies who could convincingly portray rural lives. I didn't want any notable actors as their image would spoil the essence of the characters I have written. Despite trying more than 40 newcomers, we weren't satisfied with anyone. It was Rajsekar sir who recommended Mithun, who was working in the marketing department of the production house. I wasn't convinced initially as I found him very stylish, quite contrasting to the young farmer's role I had in my mind. 

I couldn't imagine him as the village guy who leads a happy life with bulls. But I could see innocence and sympathy in his eyes which made me go ahead with him as the lead. Similarly, I initially had concerns about casting Ramya as well. She had essayed the role of a village girl in Joker, and I felt another role in the village backdrop would make the audience compare both the characters. But her confidence and the way she performed in the audition made us choose her as the female lead.  

When did you get to know that the film is going the OTT way? And how did you react to it?

From the beginning, our only focus was to make a heartwarming movie. It was during the post-production stage that I got to know the film will have a premiere on an OTT platform. It's true that we will miss the collective response of the audience in theatres. But with OTT release, we get to know the feedback only from social media. There are many emotional scenes in the movie which actually would be more enjoyable watching in movie halls. There are many distractions which are likely to happen when we watch films at our homes which spoil the continuous fun. However, we can't ignore technology in today's world, and given the current situation, there is only little we can do.