Following the release of Mari Selvaraj's Bison Kaalamaadan, headlined by Dhruv Vikram, Santhosh Narayanan penned a heartfelt and emotional note praising the director, and Pa Ranjith for backing the film. He recalled their journey, the success Pariyerum Perumal created, and expressed his happiness and pride for coming together once again to create Bison in a political landscape where they are "constantly accused of playing caste politics."
In his lengthy note on his X handle, the composer-singer called them "revolutionaries". He remembered that in 2011, "a soft spoken revolutionary filmmaker," along with himself "stood helpless in a hospital literally in tears with a million dreams for the future with almost zero chances." Later in 2018, when Pariyerum Perumal released, he said Pa Ranjith was already one of "India’s best" and produced "one of the best Tamil films of all time," talking about Mari's debut movie which propelled into limelight.
But the path down the road has not been easy. Santhosh mentioned how amid "tons of baggage on their heads", and accusations of "playing caste politics" along with targetting them "at every slip," they rose to make Bison. He said he watched the film "with tears of hope."
"The way you hugged Mari with tears after the press show (I think) is a testament to what you should always remain as Ranjith." Santhosh described Bison as a "warm hug" and praised Dhruv Vikram for his performance. Talking about Mari Selvaraj, he wrote, "Yes I argue a lot with you and constantly get agitated with certain things personally with the only intention of keeping the goal unchanged."
"Dhruv, you did so well in this one man. It felt like all of cinema conspired to bless you with this. We are proud of what you have done. I am sure Appa will be jumping around by now," he added.
Santhosh also commended Nivas K Prasanna's musical score, which has been winning praise since the film hit theatres. "I am so glad the world will experience Nivas K Prasanna's skill in a fitting movie. More to come," he wrote.
Mari Selvaraj's film has been winning praise from audiences and critics for its authentic portrayal of the struggles behind a man from an oppressed community, fighting the system to win in kabaddi. The film draws inspiration from Arjuna award-winning kabaddi player Manathi Ganesan.
Bison also stars Anupama Parameshwaran, Lal, Ameer, Pasupathi, Rajisha Vijayan, Kalaiyarasan, Hari Krishnan Anbudurai, Azhagam Perumal, and Madhan Dhakshinamoorthy. It is produced by Pa Ranjith and Aditi Anand under their Neelam Studios banner, alongside Sameer Nair and Deepak Segal of Applause Entertainment.
The technical crew of the film includes Ezhil Arasu K as the cinematographer, Sakthi Thiru as the editor, Kumar Gangappan as the art director, and Dhilip Subbarayan as the action choreographer.
