YouTube stars team up for feature film

The team of Eruma Saani will be making their silver screen debut with Odavum Mudiyadhu Oliyavum Mudiyadhu
YouTube stars team up for feature film

Frequent followers of Tamil YouTube channels may have come across one titled Eruma Saani, which, though having only 12 videos, has raked in an average of two million views for each video. The team, headed by Ramesh Venkat, who has directed all the videos and starred in a couple of them, is now gearing up for their first feature film titled Odavum Mudiyadhu Oliyavum Mudiyadhu. The film, which will be directed by Ramesh, is to be produced by V Sathya Murthi of Clap Board Production.

Talking to CE about his debut feature film, Ramesh says, "After completing Visual Communications, I made a couple of short films. I didn't want to work for other directors, so we started with the videos in Eruma Saani." That's when Sathya Murthi, who produced and starred as the lead in Thappu Thanda, heard Ramesh's script and agreed to bankroll the project. "Sathya stars as one of the five leads in this comedy horror, which will also feature a number of YouTube stars. With Vijay and Harija from Eruma Saani, RJ Vignesh of Smile Settai, Gopi and Sudhakar of Madras Central, Sha Ra and Augustine of Temple Monkeys, we're sure this film will be a great entertainer."

The 21-year-old also says, "Apart from the five main characters, there will also be four ghosts. Aside from Harija, there will be another female lead, who hasn't been finalised yet. We're auditioning for the new face."

When asked for the reason behind the title, he says, "The title has a connection to the story. Also, this title is a well-known phrase thanks to Bigg Boss. So that works in our favour as well."

The motion poster features a theatre bell with people sitting in rotating theatre-style seats, while the title logo has a car and a bell, all of which, Ramesh says, are "important elements" in the film. "They play a major role in the backstory which comes in the second half. So, in order to register that with the audience, we've incorporated them in the promotional material."

Another interesting aspect of the film is that the average age of the cast and crew is only 21.

The first schedule of the film will start from the second week of December. "We're planning for a summer release. The script work is completely done, and we're almost done with casting too. The film is to be shot completely in Chennai,"  says Ramesh.

On the technical front, Joshua J Perez, who has been the cinematographer for all of Ramesh's short films and Eruma Saani videos, is shooting this film. "I've known him from my school days and he has been my go-to man for suggestions. I'm glad he's a part of this film."

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