Radikaa Sarathkumar's latest outing in theatres, Thaai Kizhavi, has been receiving rave reviews. The film, which marks the directorial debut of Sivakumar Murugesan, has been receiving praise for its storyline and comedy, but more so for Radikaa's powerful performance despite wearing heavy prosthetic makeup.
Bala Saravanan, Munishkanth and Muthukumar, who play important supporting roles in the film, have exclusively opened up to CE about working with Radikaa and the work that went into her look in the film.
Speaking about his first reaction on seeing Radikaa in the look on the set, Bala Saravanan said, "Seeing her in that look on the first day of the shoot was astonishing. The ageing felt completely organic. Nothing looked artificial. From the loose skin around her neck to the long ears weighed down by heavy gold thandatti, everything came together to create a believable grandmother from the Madurai district."
Munishkanth then detailed the heaviness and discomfort of the prosthetic makeup. "My very first shot was with Radikaa ma’am. When I saw her in prosthetic makeup, I was reminded of the elderly women in my own village. The prosthetics weighed nearly 10 kilos. She would spend over four hours getting ready and then shoot the entire day in it. She even developed knee pain because of the weight but never once complained. She always tried to finish as many shots as possible in that look. Even basic makeup makes me uncomfortable, so I cannot imagine performing under those conditions. But she performed as if nothing bothered her."
Further, Muthukumar narrated his experience of working with a senior actor like Radikaa. He explained, "The director was extremely particular about the Madurai dialect. Radikaa ma’am did not even know the meaning of a few words, yet her delivery was flawless. One shot I personally admired was the meat shop scene where she lifts a goat onto her shoulder and walks away with absolute swag.
Also starring Singampuli, Aruldoss, Raichal Rabecca, George Maryan, and Ilavarasu, Thaai Kizhavi is backed by Sivakarthikeyan's SK Productions. The film features music by Nivas K Prasanna, cinematography by Vivek Vijayakumar, and editing by San Lokesh.
