Arunachalam Vaidyanathan: Kids should have their own form of entertainment in movies

Films made for children are a rarity in Kollywood. Before Siruvan Samuel that hit theatres in May this year, it was Oh My Dog in 2022 and KD in 2019. Director Arunachalam Vaidyanathan is aware and acknowledges the dearth of such films in the industry. “When 200 films are produced a year, you would expect at least five per cent of them, with good production value, to be made for them. Take films like the Home Alone franchise for example. But that is not the case here,” he says while opining strongly that kids should have their own form of entertainment in movies.

This was one of the main reasons that pushed Arunachalam Vaidyanathan of Achchamundu! Achchamundu! and Nibunan fame to return to the director’s chair after six years with Shot Boot Three, starring four kids, their furry friend Max, Sneha and Venkat Prabhu in lead roles. 

It was during the pandemic that the idea to incorporate a dog into the tale dawned on Arunachalam. “I wanted to make a film on four kids and their lives. When I saw a dog running towards me, I got the idea of including it as well in Shot Boot Three,” he says. The film not only tells the tale of the kids' mission to save Max, but also unravels the relationship that these kids and their parents have, the friendship that bonds the children and their love for the dog.

Arunachalam explains that while the announcement for the film was made in 2021, the shoot began only later that year as they had to rehearse with the child stars for three months. “This film has live sound and has no dubbing. Whatever they spoke on set is what you will hear in the film. We had to also train them to act for the camera,” he says.

It was indeed a challenging task to choose the stars of Shot Boot Three. While Super Singer fame Poovaiyar was selected instantly based on the script, another singer Praniti was auditioned and onboarded. “Kailash Heet, the lead for the story, was finalised after multiple auditions. This is his first big film in Kollywood. Vedanth Vasanth is also facing the camera for the first time,” he shares.

The next step in line was to convince the onscreen parents – Sneha and Venkat Prabhu. While the Maanaadu director was ready to jump on board when he heard the idea, it took some time to convince Sneha. The actor who is busy with reality shows, is returning to acting three years after Dhanush’s Pattas. The Achamundu...director and actor are reuniting after their first film in 2009. “She was extremely hesitant to come back to acting when I told her about the film. I asked her to listen to the script and narrated 20 pages. She instantly said yes and was excited to play the role,” he says. Sneha, in an extended cameo appearance, plays a strict mother to Kailash who is against her son adopting a dog.

When asked how Max joined the cast, Arunachalam says, “The trainer was close to me. We had the dog all the time at our perusal. From the time he was a puppy, we named him Max and had him on the set. He grew up with the script.”

The story of Shot Boot Three bears a resemblance to the real-life shift in perception of people seeing pets as part of their families. Arunachalam notes that he incorporates incidents he sees in reality into his films. “Someone who I met recently told me he is Jimmy’s human. The love and kindness towards animals have certainly increased today. On the other hand, we see stray dogs being killed." The film's emotional core traverses midway through Arunachalam's observations and weaves a story that is easy for kids to understand. 

Addressing queries on why he made a film for kids after working with stars like Mohanlal and Arjun, Arunachalam says, “It was those experiences that made me create a better kids film as I learnt a lot. Every big filmmaker including Steven Spielberg has made a film for kids.”

Before the release, the makers approached several schools, their correspondents and principals, and screened the film. Since Shot Boot Three centres around the kids and their lives, Arunachalam believes that it is they who will make the film a grand success when scores of them come and watch it in theatres. “They are a well-aware generation who have a lot of compassion inside them and are very expressive. Just because they question adults doesn’t mean they don’t have love for them.”