Tharshan Thiyagarajah: I hope Naadu makes Kamal sir believe he trusted the right person

Some say that films are but a reflection of our society while others propose this art form could also show how society can function better. Naadu drifts somewhere in the middle, throwing light on questions we’re struggling to find answers for while never presuming to know better. The film revolves around a quaint little village on the Kolli Hills that struggles to find timely medical help, on account of its difficult terrain. Capturing the multi-dimensional facets of the issue, Naadu also shows how the failure of the education system and the medical industry feed into this problem. However, director M Saravanan says, “Naadu is not about pointing fingers at anybody. I am merely presenting facts and hoping for an open discussion.”

The director then takes us back to a couple of years ago, to an incident that impressed upon him the weight of the issue, and ultimately inspired him to make the film. “While I was in Kolli Hills, a local lumberjack fell into a steep ravine and badly injured his leg. The woman who spotted him had to climb up the hills, inform the villagers and then get help. By the time he reached the hospital in Namakkal, it took seven hours. I don’t think they saved his leg.” Saravanan then goes on to point out how most of us are far removed from the plight of such people. "In order to empathise with them, we need to understand them, and that’s where a tool like cinema comes into play," says the filmmaker. One of the chief prerequisites for a film to communicate emotions effectively is a strong performance. That’s where actor Tharshan came in. 

“I’ve seen his previous films like Engaeyum Eppothum, so when Saravanan sir asked to meet me, I expected it to be a romantic film,” says Tharshan, adding, “But when I heard him narrate Naadu, I was apprehensive. I didn’t know if I would be suitable for the role.” Talking about why he felt insecure about taking up a film like Naadu, Tharshan elaborates, “When you do an emotional scene and the audience laughs, as an actor, that’s the end of your career. Also, if you don’t justify a raw character like Maari, other directors won’t even think of casting you in similar, serious roles.” But this trepidation went away with proper rehearsals and acting workshops conducted by Saravanan. “We had 35 days of acting workshop. He would ask me to come in costume, he would even check my skin tone every day. He was particular about where my eyes would look and even how my face contorted during emotional scenes.” Pitching in, Saravanan stresses the importance of these emotional scenes because they make up most of Naadu, and Tharshan had to be effective in communicating the anguish of the villagers. 

With Tharshan’s claim to fame being a reality show ( Bigg Boss season 3), and his light-hearted debut film, (Koogle Kuttappa), it is understandable that an emotionally heavy film like Naadu would have been a risky move for the one-film-old actor. Agreeing, Tharshan says, “Luckily, Saravanan sir would act out every scene. I just copied whatever he did. I still don’t know how he believed I would do this.” On cue, Tharshan glances at his director for clarity. “I’ve neither seen his first film nor Bigg Boss,” replies Saravanan, as both break into raptures of laughter. “He won me over at the audition. Naadu revolves around the simple lives of these villagers and their innocence. Tharshan has this innocence about him that made me believe he would be perfect for the role,” explains the director, adding, “Having Tharshan in the film, I could have easily written a romantic track. But we were dealing with a very real issue here, and I didn’t want Naadu to be cinematic. I didn’t want the audience to get carried away by the romantic inclinations of the characters and walk away thinking, ‘Oh, this is a story’." 

While on the subject of shouldering an emotionally dense film, Tharshan gets candid about another huge responsibility. In the final episode of the third season of Bigg Boss (2019), Kamal Haasan surprised everyone by announcing that his RKFI banner will back a Tharshan film. Commenting on the weight of such an opportunity, the actor says, “I've been given 10 scripts to read, and whatever Kamal sir selects out of that will be finalised. I don't want to believe that I got such an opportunity just on the back of my Bigg Boss performance. I want to prove myself as an actor too, and I hope my performance in Naadu will make Kamal sir believe he trusted the right person,” signs off Tharshan, with an infectious love for his dreams that makes you want to root for him.