Debutant director Manik Sathya has bundled together material he has gathered over years to create his upcoming film, Kadhal Munnetra Kazhagam, that’s set for release this Friday. The film is about eight male characters, all trying to win the hand of a school teacher, played by Chandini. “Youngsters of the 80s lived in a dream world, and career often took a back seat to idle chatter and ogling at women,” he says and compares his style of filmmaking to writer-director K Bhagyaraj. “There’s much focus on keeping things real,” he says.

Of the eight characters, actor Prithvi Rajan plays the lead, with the director pointing out that Singam Puli plays an important character too, who’s a fan of Sivaji Ganesan. “He has beautifully imitated the actor’s body language from Mudhal Mariyadhai,” says Manik. The film’s producer, Sivan Senathipathy, has also apparently done a cameo in the film. “It’s an important character.”

Given that the film is focussed on the 80s, there are a lot of Ilaiyaraaja songs used. The director hastens to add that necessary permission has been sought already. Shooting of this film took place largely around the Cuddalore district, with a song getting shot in Ooty. An admitted fan of Bhagyaraj, Manik remembers 80s films with much fondness. “It was a time when there was so much freshness in writing,” he says, and hopes to have emulated it with his upcoming film.