Naangal director Avinash Prakash: I did not write the film with my adult brain's perspective

At a time when Tamil cinema has been celebrating family dramas, with a tinge of dysfunctionality, like Koogle Kuttappa, Kudumbasthan and Thiruchitrambalam, the upcoming Tamil film Naangal will tell a tale of one such family. Naangal is a story of three children and their emotional state as they grapple with the dysfunctionality of their parents. Directed by debutant Avinash Prakash, the film is set to release in theatres on April 18.

Produced by GVS Raju under the Kala Bhavashri Creations banner. Naangal has won acclaim at international film festivals. Essentially, it is a film about how three children who grow up under a disciplinarian father, dealing with his own demons.

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Naangal director Avinash Prakash interview

Speaking about the film, Avinash says, “The inspiration for every story that I write comes from real life. I have seen how relationships with parents are complicated, because as a child, whatever is thrown at you by them seems to be the end of the world. How do you deal with broken families, and how will the child go through it - are what intrigued me. I have been in situations in which I am unable to comprehend, and each one I come across has an opinion. Everyone would have an opinion, but it is what I think as a child. Whatever happens in your childhood remains forever for the rest of your life.”

Avinash goes on to talk about how Naangal will talk about the perspectives of children and adults. “It was just fascinating to understand how childhood is a major aspect for all of us as we grow up. Somehow, I thought wanting to come up with the dysfunctionality. How they are put in a situation together.”

Naangal cast and crew

The cast of Naangal includes Mithun V, Rithik M, and Nithin D playing the three children, while Abdul Rafe and Prarthana S play their parents. There is also a dog named Roxy playing a role in the film, which the director highly praises. “The first focus for me is to cast the children who are there throughout the film. I feel all three children are debutants, along with others. I found all of them on day one. For the father, I had only one choice, and that is my friend Abdul, a practising doctor who is an aspiring actor. In this film, the mother plays a complicated character. What she is doing in the film is miniscule, but what is important is that she has to bring the innocence our mothers had.”

Avinash, who made a film that went to the festival circuit, says that they never had in mind to do one. “There is a story that I really wanted to tell. We never had the festival in mind, and it was not a guaranteed spot. My first job was to get the film made, and the second, to make a good one. Once we made it, and everyone felt it was a good one, that’s when we thought of sending it to a few festivals and be selected.”

The filmmaker goes on to say that despite having an influence of world cinema, he says the heart of his film is rooted. “I am a guy who has grown up watching Indian cinema and I love it. So, when I made a film, I had an interval, even when it was screened at festivals. There will be an intermission card, and I did write it as a mainstream film. But I wrote it with utmost sincerity and did not write with my adult brain, like the maturity and perspective of a grown-up, but that of the children and thinking about the complexity,” he concludes.