Filmmaker Sherief, who made his debut with Vaibhav's Ranam, is teaming up with KPY Bala for his sophomore project, Gandhi Kannadi. The filmmaker assures that the film will bring out Bala as a performer and take the 'comedian' image out of the picture. Elaborating on why he didn't want to cash in on Bala's comical on-screen image, Sherief says it is his duty as a director to present something new and fresh that is worth the money people pay for the ticket. "If I need to write a character for Bala based on his KPY credentials, there is already a TV channel and an OTT platform doing that. I don't want to take that easy route."
Bala, apart from his comic timing, is also known for his philanthropic side. However, Sherief reiterates that Kathir, Bala's character in the film, will not carry a semblance of his real-life personality. "The characterisation of Kathir is completely free of Bala's TV persona or his real life. The story of Gandhi Kannadi is about a mundane incident that turns into a life-changing moment for Kathir," Sherief elaborates.
He further says that Gandhi Kannadi doesn't refer to the leader, but it is Balaji Shakthivel's character name. Sherief reveals that Gandhi's character was written for Rajinikanth. "It is no surprise that those who work as an assistant director will have a story ready for stars like Rajinikanth sir, Kamal sir, Vijay sir, and Ajith sir. This was written for Rajini sir. I was inspired to write this character for him, inspired by his performances in Aarulirundhu Arubathuvarai and Enkeyo Ketta Kural. But things didn't fall in place."
Sherief clarifies that Gandhi Kannadi is neither a political thriller nor a social awareness film, as it might seem to be, but it is a simple feel-good film. "The social message the film carries would be that 'change begins from within,' as Mahatma Gandhi once said," Sherief adds.
Apart from Bala and Balaji Sakthivel, Gandhi Kannadi also stars Archana and Namita Krishnamurthy. The film, produced by Jayi Kiran under the Adhimulam Creations banner, will be released in theatres on September 5, along with Madharaasi and Bad Girl.
