A teaser without dialogues 

The recently-released teaser of Iravaakaalam starring SJ Suryah in the lead has been getting a lot of positive response. Ashwin Saravanan, director of Maya, says, "We've not used any dialogues in the teaser. In fact, we didn’t even realise it until people pointed it out to us. We wanted to create the mood without using dialogues. People should be able to understand these characters even if they watch the video on mute.”

The first teaser had a line that went, “There are no rewards or punishments… only consequences.” Ashwin feels this line, more or less, sums up the whole story. “I believe in karma,” he says. “The film is a supernatural thriller about marriage and relationships. It talks about how our choices come with repercussions.” The title, he says, means ‘active’. “Your deeds come back to haunt you. That’s the theme.” While all this may sound too philosophical, Ashwin says the tone of the film is anything but.

Originally, he didn’t have SJ Suryah in mind when he wrote the script. “If I write a story with an actor in my mind, it derails me from the process of writing,” Ashwin says. He feels SJ Suryah is a great choice for the film as he wanted someone who could make the audience feel sympathy, even if he made mistakes. “He plays a fashion photographer who makes a few mistakes,” he says.

While almost half of the shoot has been completed in Chennai, the next schedule is set to begin in Ooty soon. Hareesh Peradi and Amzath Khan are also a part of Iravaakaalam.