Aravind Raj: Into the world of Idol Smuggling

For any hero to become a star, that actor needs a strong adversary on screen. Interestingly, in his silver jubilee film, Velayilla Pattadhari, Dhanush's Raghuvaran faced a rank debutant Amitash Pradhan's Arun Subramaniam. But Amitash has since maintained a low profile, and it is this facet that attracted filmmaker Aravind Raj, who chose the actor to headline his debut film, Paramporul. "I needed an actor who has no baggage so far. I didn't want an actor with a certain reputation because the audience will end up having preconceived notions," says Aravind, who reveals that Amitash plays the role of Aadhi, a slacker.

Apart from Amitash, Paramporul also stars Sarath Kumar, who recently wowed the audience with his cop role in the runaway hit, Por Thozhil. And no prizes for guessing what role Sarath is playing in Paramporul. However, Aravind assures that the audience would never guess the character arc he has sketched for the veteran actor. "The audience will take at least 10 seconds to understand and interpret his words and actions in the film. His persona will change in every other scene, and I'm sure his actions will be unpredictable," says the filmmaker adding that casting Sarath Kumar was also because of his body of work. "I wanted an experienced actor and a charismatic star to play the cop role, and I don't think I need to spell out why he met the needs of my character."

Guiding us into the world where the paths of a slacker and a cop cross, Aravind says, "Paramporul is a crime drama revolving around idol theft. The lives of the two characters get connected at a common point and that's when they get involved in an idol smuggling racket." Considering Paramporul is about idol theft, the title quite fits the film, and Aravind confirms that it was used after thorough consideration. "We wanted to have a title that was ironical of the film’s subject. Paramporul does not refer to the God of one religion, but the concept of God in general."

In fact, this irony is a part of the film's blueprint as one can't really say if Sarath's Maithreyan is a completely good person and neither can we paint Aadhi with the broad strokes of a wastrel. "They are grey characters who are influenced by the happenings in their life. Paramporul tries to reflect the idea that nobody is good or bad on their own, and it is the situation around them that determines their actions."

Idol theft might not be often showcased on screen, but it has been a topic of interest in Tamil Nadu. In fact, there are enough cases that have been reported in our newspapers and media that it is a surprise that it is not a genre that has been explored more. When asked if Paramporul was a reflection of this occurrence or built up from a specific case, Aravind says, "The story is fictitious, but I have definitely been inspired by real-life characters and incidents. It is a culmination of careful research and creativity." With cops, smuggling, and interesting coincidences in the mix, will it be easy to slot Paramporul in one box? "It can't..." signs off Aravind, but not before adding, "But Paramporul will firmly focus on history and mythology."