Marina Puratchi: Hitting the bullseye

Director Pandiraj’s next production venture is titled Marina Puratchi and will be directed by his longtime associate, MS Raj. Actors Sivakarthikeyan, Sathish and Soori, who have worked with Pandiraj on different projects in the past, revealed the first look on Monday. From the poster, it is clear that the film is about the Marina protest that gained worldwide recognition when thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the ban on jallikattu. The first look’s release date too coincided with the date the protests started last year.

Talking about the project, MS Raj says, “It’s a protest that showed the world who Tamilians are; when our rights were removed and our traditions weren’t given due respect, we fought back. After Occupy Wall Street and Jasmine Revolution, there have been many protests in the world, but what we did was the first of its kind. It was protest for a cultural reason.” On the film, he says, “Marina Puratchi will talk in detail about where it all started, the minute incidents in the protest that didn’t get much attention, and how we ended up victorious in the end. It will also show a lot of unknown happenings. What media showed us was just a scratch on the surface. There will be a lot of surprises in store, and it’s all based on what actually happened. I would call it an investigative thriller that we’ve shot with actors.” 

Said to be similar to Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, the film stars Rajmohan of Put Chutney fame along with newcomers Naveen and Shruti. Velraj will handle the cinematography, while sound design is by Tapas Nayak who has worked on films such as Lagaan, Raavanan and Yennai Arindhaal.

Raj also adds that the film wouldn’t have been possible without its producer. “I’m glad that Pandiraj is producing the film. We go back a long time, having worked together as assistants for Cheran sir. I told him the concept and he gave the nod. His contribution to the project is immense. He feels the film will be a record of what really happened, so he is leaving no stone unturned for this project.”