It is not just songs, Ilaiyaraaja is also integral to ‘Manjanathi’: Mari Selvaraj

Award-winning manager Mari Selvaraj’s adjacent film, Manjanathi, with euphony by maestro Ilaiyaraaja, is not centred connected a azygous pistillate quality but connected women portrayed by 3 actors. The story’s rubric was primitively portion of a bid published successful the Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan.

“Whenever the name Manjanathi came to my mind, I thought of adapting it into a film. Even then, I had decided that maestro Ilaiyaraaja should constitute the music. When I met him and narrated the story, helium agreed to people it,” said Mari, who participated successful the programme to people 50 years of Ilayaraaja’s introduction into movie a fewer days agone and spoke astir the movie and however the long-cherished imagination had travel true. Ilayaraaja invited him to the dais and asked him to stock his experience.

Asked whether the communicative revolves around Manjanathi, the titular character, Mari told The Hindu the movie features galore women characters.

“It is simply a movie astir women, their feelings, emotions and aspirations. The halfway of the communicative is astir women. The communicative begins successful the confederate districts, wherever the name Manjanathi is much common. But I person treated the taxable successful a caller manner, and the assemblage volition find it surprising,” helium said.

Talking astir his acquisition of moving with Ilaiyaraaja, helium said they had lone conscionable begun. “He keeps maine happy. I went to conscionable him with a small fear, but helium has fixed maine confidence. I wrote the publication wholly with Ilaiyaraaja successful mind. The mode I person approached the taxable and integrated him into the movie volition beryllium caller to cinema. The assemblage volition recognize wherefore I chose Ilaiyaraaja erstwhile the movie is released. It is not conscionable astir the songs; helium is portion and parcel of the film,” helium added.

Though Mari aims to merchandise the movie by December this year, the merchandise whitethorn spill implicit to January 2027.

The movie stars Kathir successful the pb role. He had earlier played the eponymous relation successful Mari’s acclaimed film Pariyerum Perumal. The manager has besides elevated Ponvel, who played Sivananainjan in Vaazhai, to the presumption of a 2nd leader successful the film.

The pistillate leads see Kayadu Lohar, Priyanka Arul Mohan and a newcomer, who has not been finalised.