Kaali Venkat, Roshni Prakash team up for Dhonima

Kaali Venkat, who was last seen in Kurangu Pedal, is all set to headline another slice-of-life film titled Dhonima. Directed by Jagadeesan Subu, the film has Roshni Prakash playing the female lead. She will also be seen in Bala's Vanangaan starring Arun Vijay in the lead.

Revealing details about the film, Jagadeesan says, "Dhonima is the name of a golden retriever puppy. You can say he is the primary lead of the film. Kaali Venkat plays Kotti, a construction worker who is an alcoholic and an irresponsible person. He pushes through his life one day at a time and doesn't care about his son Dravid (Vishav Raj), who has a hearing issue."

He further adds, "Roshni plays Dhanam, a headstrong woman who works as a house help at an apartment. Her only goal is to save enough money for her son's surgery. She finds a puppy one day in a dustbin and decides to take her home. We all know how expensive it is to raise a dog, especially golden retrievers. How a middle-class family comes to terms with this reality and how Dhonima finds a permanent place in their hearts forms the rest of the story." The film was shot in and around Chennai, predominantly in areas like Anna Nagar and Kolathur.

Dhonima, the director assures, would shed light on the lives of middle-class families and will be relatable to all audiences, especially children. When probed about how he came up with the title, the director laughs and says, "Kaali Venkat's character in the film is a huge fan of cricket. He wants to name the puppy Dhoni, but realises that she is a female, hence he chooses the name Dhonima." Interestingly, Jagadeesan bought the puppy for the film, which is now an integral member of his family. Director Jagadeesan Subu has previously made films like Sigai (2017) and Bakrid (2019). Apart from Kaali Venkat, Roshni Prakash, and Vishav Raj, the film also stars Vivek Prasanna, Kannan Ponniah, Rajesh Sharma, PL Thenappan, Kalki Rajan and Aadukalam-fame Stella, among others.

The technical crew of Dhonima comprises cinematography by Packiaraj and Sajith Kumar, music composed by EJ Johnson, editing by Tamil Arasan, and art direction by Madan M. Dhonima, which has wrapped up filming, is produced by Sai Venkateswaran and is scheduled to be released in August this year.