On Monday, Mari Selvaraj officially announced his next project, Manjanathi, which will mark his first collaboration with legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja. The announcement was made with a video featuring Mari visiting the residence of the composer and the latter composing a piece for the film, live.
The features an old interview glimpse of Mari speaking about Ilaiyaraaja. He is seen saying, "For me, Ilaiyaraaja sir is much bigger. It is a dream. I have not even met Ilaiyaraaja sir yet. He is a kind of divinity intertwined with me since my childhood." In the old interview he also said that he had always dreamt of working with Ilaiyaraaja, but he wished to become more mature and wise for it
He also said that he needed a script worthy of Ilaiyaraaja's music, which the glimpse hints is Manjanathi's script. We then see Ilaiyaraaja composing and singing live for Mari Selvaraj. The glimpse video ends with Mari Selvaraj's short quote on what this collaboration means to him. He wrote, "I begin to sketch my life with Isaignani Ilaiyaraaja. The symphony of my heart."
This film marks the sixth project for Mari Selvaraj after Pariyerum Perumal, Karnan, Maamannan, Vaazhai (also producer), and Bison Kaalamaadan. With Manjanathi, Mari is collaborating with Ilaiyaraaja for the first time.
Though it is yet to be confirmed by the makers, rumour mills suggest that Manjanathi is a sequel to Vaazhai and will revolve around Sivanainthan's teens and youth. The makers are yet to announce more details about the film's extended cast, crew, plot, genre, and release date.
Manjanathi is backed by Navvi Studios and Fortune Entertainment.
Meanwhile, Mari Selvaraj was also set to collaborate with Dhanush on what was previously titled D56. The film was set to be backed by Vels Film International, with music by A.R. Rahman. However, as updates about the film are scanty, reports suggest that Mari will complete Manjanathi before he begins the film. Ilaiyaraaja, meanwhile, has had two releases in the year so far: Mylanji and Antony.
