Express News Service
Debutant director S Muthukumaran’s first film, Kanni Rasi, is yet to hit the screens but his second film, Dharmaprabhu, is getting a wide release this Friday. “Maybe it was God’s wish that my first film be with my best friend, Yogi Babu, a lucky charm for so many producers.”
Muthukumaran can’t stop gushing about the comedian. “I remember when I first pitched the idea of a political satire to him ten years ago. At that time, he said that the one-liner could be translated onto cinema if we found the right producer and star. He has become a star today and has proven to be a good human by staying true to the word he gave me. I was especially moved when he said that he would have done the film for me even ten years later.”
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Talking about the advantages of having Yogi Babu in the film, he says, “His comedy is genre-agnostic. His dialogue delivery has a unique charm. Combine that with his expressive eyes and his timing, and this script couldn’t have worked with anyone else. It is to his credit that he finished this film in just 39 days.” He remembers fondly the shooting experiences.
“Imagine shooting a sequence of Babu, decked with jewels, taking a walk in the busy streets of Chennai. His antics made every unit member laugh but for Babu, comedy has always been serious business.”
The dialogue from the trailer, ‘Nallavangala naragathukkum kettavangala sorgathukkum anuppa poren’, was written by Yogi Babu himself. “He improvised a lot on the sets and carried his role off with such panache that veteran actor Rekha requested more screen space with him.”
Muthukumaran reveals that the inspiration for this film is late actor Cho’s Muhammad bin Thughluq. “In my view, that is the gold standard for political satire. We have narrated our film too similarly, and have taken care not to take any sides or hurt sentiments of any community.”
Source: The New Indian Express