Ilaiyaraaja’s music will be a major highlight in Akka Kuruvi, says director Samy

We had told you the much-acclaimed 1997 Iranian film, Children of Heaven, was getting remade into Tamil. Titled Akka Kuruvi, the film is directed by Samy, who rose to fame with films like Mirugam, Uyir and Sindhu Samaveli.

The film will also have a Telugu version.

Children of Heaven revolves around the life of siblings who bond over a pair of lost shoes. The film was nominated for the Oscars in 1998. Akka Kuruvi, which has cinematography by Uppal V Nayanar, editing by Manikandan Sivakumar, and production design by Veerasamar, was shot for 55 days in and around Kodaikanal and Poomparai.

Speaking about how Akka Kuruvi came into being, Samy tells DT Next, "So far, my films have dealt with controversial subjects, and I wanted to move away from them. In fact, my sister has been wanting me to make lighthearted films. When I was looking for stories, I was convinced that the Tamil adaptation of Children of Heaven would be a good watch. I mailed Majid Majidi asking for the remake rights. It was then I learnt that Priyadarshan had remade the film in Hindi as Bumm Bumm Bole. So, we got it through him. After watching the output, Majid Majidi sent a letter of appreciation."

Samy says that the Tamil version too is set in the 90s. "We shot the film in a village called Poombarai in Kodaikanal. We had to recreate the 90s backdrop in the village and there were a few camera angles we needed to work on to refrain from showing the mobile network towers. The story stresses the importance of education where a struggling family sends their kids to a convent,” the director told DT Next.

Samy also adds that this is why he wanted maestro Ilaiyaraaja on board as the film’s composer. "To make the movie palatable for our audience, there is a romance segment in the movie and Raja sir’s music plays a huge role. There are no romantic dialogues between the pair. But the love is conveyed through his songs. Ilaiyaraaja sir’s background music for the film will be a major highlight!"

On working with children, Saamy was quoted in DT Next saying, “My ADs told me that the children were scared of me for the first couple of days. Then I bought them pastries and chocolates so they would warm up to me. It was a delight to work with them."

Akka Kuruvi, jointly produced by Madurai Muthu Movies and Kanavu Thozhirsalai will hit the screens on May 6.