Tamil cinema is basking in refreshing weather courtesy an assembly line of feel-good films. The breezy callbacks to the dog days of one’s childhoods, the immature puppy love, and carefree nature of youth are the flavor du jour. While actor Atharvaa's upcoming film, Idhayam Murali, which is set to release theatrically on July 10, seems to tick all these boxes, the film marks a callback of a different kind for the actor. Atharvaa is taking on the mantle of his late father Murali, fondly remembered for the seminal romcom Idhayam (1990). In this interview with CE, Atharvaa talks about his perspective of love, memories of his father, and the challenges of telling a personal story.
Idhayam is a cult title for multiple reasons. Were you nervous?
I was 100 per cent anxious and continuously thought about how the title will live up to the classic original. The working title for the film was Cassette. When Aakash wanted to call it Idhayam Murali, I asked him to change it. But Idhayam Murali definitely has some elements found in Idhayam. While the title gives me a lot of happiness, there was a lot of responsibility, too.
What is Idhayam Murali all about? And how much of it was relatable to you?
See, it is about a guy, who has an old school perspective on love and romance. He is unable to confess his love to the girl. So, in a way, the film is about juxtaposing old school love in modern times. But the hope is for the film to be relatable to today's audiences.
Also, I think Idhayam Murali is based on events from director Aakash Baskaran’s life. I feel like he is a romantic at heart.
You are doing a romantic film after a while...
When I told my mother that I am about to do a breezy love story, she was very encouraging of me to take it up. There are a lot of problems that plague people in this day and age. So why should we see them for two hours again in a theatre? Apart from that, we are seeing the resurgence of feel-good films that are also being received warmly by the audience.
Was it daunting to be a 37-year-old taking on the role of a school student?
I never thought about it until you asked. I was confident in being able to pull it off, because I was thinking about the scenes which feature me as a school student on the whole, rather than just my character. But while dubbing, I realised that those portions were my favourite from the film, as it was very relatable.
How was it working with such an ensemble of actors on the film?
It is very rare to call someone a friend when you are working in a cinema. You work with a set of people for a particular duration. Though you become close then, everyone goes their own separate ways after the project is over. But we had to become friends over time, as this was a lengthier shoot. The good thing was that the camaraderie translated to the screen too.
Thaman had a great time acting but had a bigger challenge. He wanted to enjoy the set and he used to keep the set lively. But while shooting a song, he would go compose the next part of it during breaks, and we worked on it immediately after composition.
What is love for you?
Deepest level of friendship and understanding. It is probably the stage after friendship. Emotions are universal and love is universal and unlikely.
Have you ever revisited scenes with your father, from Baana Kaathadi (2010)?
It became hard for me to watch those scenes after a while. While I don’t search for them, I just watch some snippets of those scenes. I cherish those memories a lot. I still remember every moment from the filming of those scenes, including how he worked for them. But watching them visually is still hard.
Idhayam Murali is your 21st film. Do you have plans for your milestone 25th film?
I have a vague idea for my 25th. But we can plan for a lot of things, it is what the universe plans for us that will happen.
