Selvin Raj Xavier: Whatever I wrote for the film was by reflecting on my own life 

The Tamil film industry continues to churn out horror comedies every other week, but only a few become box-office successes. The latest to try joining that select list of successes is the Sathish-starrer Conjuring Kannappan, helmed by first-time filmmaker Selvin Raj Xavier. "The film has a solid storyline that incorporates elements of comedy and horror in a way that feels authentic and not gratuitous. These genres are utilised only when necessary to advance the plot, and this discretion will set my film apart from others in this category," says Selvin Raj.

Selvin believes it was pre-destined that he would make his debut with a horror comedy. "I have always been fond of comedies. I was that kid at school who was known for making everyone laugh. My family and friends encouraged my witty side. During my college time, it was the era of short films, and I was quite hooked on the horror genre and wrote a few scripts. When it was time to make my feature film debut, I knew it had to be a combination of two of my favourite genres — comedy and horror," shares Selvin.

The filmmaker also urges that Conjuring Kannappan is more than just another horror comedy. "I have assisted Chimbu Devan, sir. Most of his outings have fantasy elements, and that greatly influenced me too. So, there is that interesting fantasy element in Conjuring Kannappan as well." adds Selvin

They say comedy is serious business, and it takes great effort to land a successful comedy. Even the slightest of missteps can make the humour fall flat, and what seems hilarious on paper doesn't always translate into hilarity onscreen. "I completely agree that comedy is hard to achieve. One thing that helped me big time was that whatever I wrote for the film was by reflecting on my own life and my environment. I think this would make my writing very relatable for the audience, " says Selvin Raj.

Apart from his own life, Selvin also benefitted from being an avid movie watcher, that made him sketch characters for his ensemble, keeping in mind their strengths. "I have been following the works of my actors, and when I wrote the script, I had actors like Sathish, Saranya Ponvannan and Anandraj in mind. I knew their acting styles and mannerisms, which immensely helped me to build the characters. I have been lucky to be surrounded by light-hearted and hilarious individuals in my life. In fact, Saranya's character in the film is an exact replica of my mother."

Interestingly, this personal connect for Selvin began right with the premise of the Conjuring Kannappan. "Once, I dreamt that someone was killing me. As aspiring filmmakers, we are tuned to observe even the slightest of interesting things happening in our lives. I was intrigued by the dream and wanted to conjure a theme from this base idea. Suddenly, a dream catcher flashed in my mind! And just like that, the cornerstone of the film fell into place," signs off Selvin.

Backed by AGS Entertainment, Conjuring Kannappan, which also stars Regina Cassandra, VTV Ganesh, Redin Kingsley, and Elli AvrRam, will hit theatres on December 8.