Exclusive! Sarov Shanmugam: I consider it a blessing to have roped in actors of three generations from a family

Director Sarov Shanmugam is elated about the response the trailer of Oh My Dog has been receiving from various quarters. The movie revolves around the relationship between a school-going kid and a pet dog. Billed as a fun-filled family drama, it also has sports as an important element in it.

The project, which is dropping on Amazon Prime Video on April 21, brings Arnav, Arun Vijay and Vijaykumar, actors from three generations from a family together. In an interview with OTTplay, Sarov opens up about scripting for the film, bringing the actors on board, convincing Suriya to produce it and more. Excerpts...

The movie is touted as a children's film with ample fun-filled moments. How did you come up with the idea and what made Suriya-Jyotika's production house take it up?

I wanted to make a children's film. I think it's been a while since an exclusive children's movie has been made in Tamil. I was keen on presenting such a film which touches upon children's problems and gamut of emotions. All I had in my mind was that children should come, sit and enjoy it like a Walt Disney film. 

I came across an idea and started working on it. But here's the catch; children's films have no market, it's difficult to get people to invest in such a movie. I remembered Suriya sir saying a while ago that he is keen on producing children's movies. So, I approached him and narrated the story. He loved it and suggested Arnav's name to play the kid around whom the story of the film revolves. Later, we met Arun sir and narrated the script to him, too. I felt that Arnav would be apt for the lead character I had written. 

Who did you have in mind after the scripting was completed?

While scripting, I had my younger brother in my mind. The story is based on an incident which happened in my own family. I was seven-year-old then and my brother was five. One of the highlights of the project is the relationship between a grandfather and his grandson. I wanted the portions between their characters to be flawless. After finalizing Arnav, I checked with Arun sir about the possibility of him taking up the father's role, and that's how he came on board. Then Vijaykumar sir, too, was roped in...It all happened in a jiffy.

Arnav, Arun and Vijaykumar...actors who belong to three generations from a family are starring in the movie. How do you feel about this rare feat?

I consider it a blessing to have pulled off something like this. Actors of three generations from a family coming together is something which happens rarely and I was elated. I should thank Arun sir for making it happen.

Who are the other actors who play pivotal characters in the project?

Vinay Rai essays a crucial role in the movie...his character will remind you of some of the larger-than-life figures in Walt Disney films. His extravagant appearance, loud antics and vibrant costumes will be a treat for the audience, especially the young audience. He was busy with Nelson's Doctor when we approached him, but we were ready to wait for him. He is also a dog lover and it made things easy for us. 

Vijaykumar sir's performance was instrumental in making the grandson-grandfather bonding beautiful. There is a scene in which he is supposed to scold Arnav; I was skeptical about how it would turn out, but it came out interestingly, thanks to his experience.  

The film was announced last year and its release was expected around December in 2021. What made the movie's release delayed by a few months?

The pandemic posed a threat in different ways unexpectedly. This affected the post-production. Suriya sir was particular about the crew following all the COVID protocols properly. He did not want any untoward incident happening to the team. He asked us to relax and said that it's better to wait for sometime until normalcy returns. Since the film involved dubbing by children, we felt it was better to postpone the release till everything fell in place.