Siberian husky plays an important part in 7 Naatkal

Gone are the days when a new director would play it safe with a love story for his first film. In an era when crime thrillers are the order of the day, the new kid on the block, Gautham VR, has chosen to go with the flow with his 7 Naatkal that’s all set for release on May 26.

Gautham VR

The newcomer says his inspiration stemmed from a script that his father, Vimal Peethambaram, wrote for a Kannada film with Puneeth Rajkumar in the lead, almost a decade ago. “When that did not materialise, it was offered to Jayam Ravi, who gave his thumbs up initially. But he was eventually unable to accommodate the dates. The inspiration for the original script was a real story, but I had to rework it to suit the present day. It has been a challenge, but I enjoyed making this film.”

He says the film is a thriller where the protagonists are on the run, thanks to being chased by “all the wrong people and their own conscience too.” He says the tricky part was getting the two non-Tamil speaking female leads — Angana Roy and Nikesha Patel — to fit into the project.

“My task was made easier by a confident Sakthivel Vasu (son of director P Vasu and the protagonist of the film), who did justice to a character that tested his limits. He was also ably supported by Prabhu, Nasser and Ganesh Venkatraman,” he adds.

The director reveals that there is an unexpected member of the cast in the form of a Siberian Husky imported from Korea. “The four-year-old got into the act quickly and plays a pivotal role in the plot. In fact, the question of whether the lead pair get united in the end, hinges a lot on the dog’s track. I won’t say anymore. You will have to watch the film,” says Gautham.

He adds that a catchy song sung by T Rajhendherr and composed by Vishal Chandrasekhar, is already doing well on social media.

The debutant says he is counting on the well-wishes of many actors, including Vijay Sethupathi (who launched the trailer), and Dhanush (who launched the audio), and, “of course, the audience.”