Malayalam director Anil ventures into Tamil cinema with Saayavanam

Malayalam filmmaker Anil is all set to make his debut in Tamil cinema with Saayavanam. Headlined by Soundararaja and Devananda, this one will be bankrolled by Santhosh Damodharan, under his home banner, Damor Cinema.

Anil has directed more than 40 Malayalam movies and has worked with top Malayalam heroes. His latest film Maiya is made in Hindi and will be released soon.

Damor Cinema commenced its production journey with the Pakalpooram, which was also directed by Anil. The production company has made several hit films, thus far, including Vaalkannadi, Ivar, Chandrolsavam and Kurushetra.

Saayavanam is Soundararaja's third film as the hero. Earlier, he had played the lead in Oru Kanavu Pola and Enakku Veru Engum Kilaigal Kidayathu (alongside the legendary comedian, Goundamani.)

Soundararaja is known for his roles in Kadaikutty Singam, Dharmadurai and Sundarapandian.

Speaking about Saayavanam, Anil said that he wanted a different script to make his Kollywood entry. "The title roughly translates into 'wild forest' in English. The story revolves around the character Seetha played by Devanada. Soundararaja has got into the skin of the character and has delivered an excellent performance."

Anil further said that a major portion of the movie was shot in Cherrapunji. "The characters in Saayavanam are wild like the forest; they have their own secrets like the mist and rain."

Anil believes filmmaking cannot be taught. “It is an internal experience. If my movie was unconventional it was because it was my evolution," he says.

What draws him to films are characters; his creations. “I take a lot of time to plan a character. My scripts are centred on characters rather than situations. But I believe a director should be a good editor in his head!"

National Award winner Appukutty and Janaki of Karnan fame play supporting roles in Saayavanam. The technical crew includes cameraman L Ramachandran and editor Arul Siddharth.