Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi: Paper Rocket is a travel drama with strong performances

In the trailer launch event for Zee5’s original series Paper Rocket, director Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi spoke in length about the strong performances given by the cast, and how she honed her craft during the pandemic by assisting director Thiagarajan Kumararaja.

Paper Rocket has an ensemble cast that includes Kalidas Jayaram, Tanya Ravichandran, Gouri G Kishan, Poornima Bhagyaraj, Renuka, Chinni Jayanth, Karunakaran, and Kaali Venkat. The series follows a group of strangers who go on a road trip that ends up becoming a journey of self-discovery. The trailer showed visuals of exotic locations and character moments intercut with a plot-defining caption that read 'Life, death, and everything in between.'

The trailer launch opened with an exclusive music video featuring actor Ramya Nambessan, followed by the trailer itself. The cast and crew were then joined on stage by celebrity chief guests like Silambarasan TR , Udhayanidhi Stalin, Mirchi Siva, Mari Selvaraj, Balaji Tharaneetharan, and Mysskin.

Kamal Hassan marked his presence with a video byte where he wished the team their success. Actor Chinni Jayanth, in a light-hearted speech, talked about his experience of shooting in the middle of the ocean for the series. He went on to humorously compare it to the final moments of Titanic. This would be the actor-comedian's first appearance in a web series in his almost four-decade-long career. 

While talking about her character, Gouri G Kishan said, “I play an interesting character of a swimmer in the series. Kiruthiga ma'am has handled the female characters well, giving them well-rounded arcs. It is a proud moment for women in general."

Silambarasan TR took to the stage to thank Chief Minister MK Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin for checking on his father T Rajendar’s health. Talking about the series he said, "I don't see any distinction between male and female directors. They are all directors. We don't have to give them a place, they have already arrived and they are here to stay.”

Director Mari Selvaraj said that he felt jealous watching the visuals of Paper Rocket. "It will take me 15 years to tell such a feel-good story.”

Taking time to appreciate the cast and crew of her debut series, Kiruthiga said, "It was very interesting to work with every person on the team. The confidence given by Mysskin sir has brought me this far.” Delving further into her creative collaboration during the pandemic, Kiruthiga said, “During the pandemic, I requested Thiagarajan Kumararaja to make me his assistant. I learned a lot from him." Addressing Simbu, the filmmaker said, "I would like to do a film with Simbu. Maybe this event could mark the beginning of that project.”

The show ended with a supposed reference from the series where the characters write their wishes on a paper rocket and launch it into the air. All the chief guests and the team launched a paper rocket of their own off the stage to mark the end of the event.

The eight-episode original series starts premiering on Zee5 on July 29.