Actor Sasikumar, who was last seen playing a Sri Lankan refugee in Tourist Family, is returning to similar territory in his upcoming film Freedom, which is set to hit theatres on July 10. At the film’s press meet held in Chennai on Saturday, the actor shared insights into the film, its making, and why it holds a special place in his heart.
Speaking about his co-star Lijomol Jose, Sasikumar said, “When Lijo came on board, the film found its missing piece. We had actually begun shooting without a female lead, as we hadn’t found the right person for the role. But once we cast her, she fit in so seamlessly that her performance will make the audience genuinely hope for the couple to reunite.”
Sasikumar was quick to distinguish Freedom from Tourist Family, despite the thematic similarities. “This is nothing like Tourist Family. Freedom has no comedy—it is entirely a prison drama. As the lead, I feel it’s my responsibility to be honest with the audience about the tone of the film. It is a heart-wrenching tale, not a light-hearted one.”
The film, directed by Sathyasiva, is based on true events from the 1990s. “Freedom tells the story of how innocent refugees were imprisoned under suspicion and how some of them eventually broke free. Back in 1995, we didn’t know this had happened because media coverage wasn’t as widespread. We’ve tried to depict, as realistically as possible, the pain and injustice these people suffered,” Sasikumar said.
Reuniting with director Sathyasiva after Naan Mirugamaai Maara, Sasikumar spoke highly of the filmmaker’s intense approach. “Sathyasiva is a very serious filmmaker, and this is a very serious film. In fact, he didn’t let us joke around on set. The prison scenes were so realistically shot that we actually experienced some of the beatings. In one scene, I was hit so hard that I screamed in pain. The director thought I was acting brilliantly, but when he finally called 'cut,' everyone realised my hand was genuinely injured," he laughs.
Sasikumar also addressed his back-to-back use of the Eelam dialect. “Someone asked me why I spoke in the Sri Lankan Tamil dialect in two consecutive films. But that dialect is also my Tamil. I would happily do ten films in that accent. In fact, Freedom was filmed before Tourist Family, and learning the dialect for this film helped me in the other.”
He was also clear about the film’s intentions: “Freedom is not political. It simply tells a real story, and I assured the makers, and I assure the audience now, that there is nothing controversial in it. My involvement guarantees that.”
Touching on the film’s title, Sasikumar revealed, “We initially wanted to name the film Suthanthiram or Viduthalai, but both titles were already taken. These days, even titles are decided based on OTT platform preferences. So, we settled on Freedom.”
With Freedom, Sasikumar continues his commitment to socially relevant storytelling, guided not by commercial metrics but by the strength of the script. “I’ve worked with 12 or 13 debut filmmakers, and even with directors whose earlier films didn’t do well. Success or failure doesn’t influence me; what matters is the story.”
The film also stars KGF fame Malavika Avinash, Bose Venkat, Ramesh Khanna, Mu Ramasamy, and Boys (2003) fame Manikandan, among others. Sathyasiva is the writer and director of the film, which has music by Ghibran, cinematography by NS Uthayakumar, and editing by Srikanth NB. Pandiyan Parasuraman is producing the film under his Vijaya Ganapathy's Pictures banner.
