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The Score Magazine
before the success he had a big , devastating let down , when his previous project , the only regional movie that Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit had accepted to do , titled ‘ Engineer ’ was stalled and eventually shelved . When he expressed his interest to Sujatha about wanting to make the film with the ‘ Pirivom Sandippom ’ storyline and had given him the screenplay , the writer was only too glad to encourage the director to proceed with the project , if the appropriate producer was available to take on the venture . As the director said very clearly , it is tricky to make a novel into a movie as it has been read by millions already ; unless the director did not meet most of the common expectations or mental images of readers , the movie would definitely be canned , instead of being a box-office hit . This was a unique challenge . When Aascar Ravichandran called him one day and asked him to do a movie for him , he told him that he had a story of his own scripted by writer Sujatha ; He also insisted that he would only do it , if he would not be pushed into any compromise during the production ; he also requested that he be allowed to have the freedom to shoot the film in the locations mentioned by the writer . Director Gandhi Krishna is full of praise for his producer , who has given him a free hand as well as supported him with total commitment through the project . He particularly likes his artistic taste and appreciation . Or as he puts it , a “ Nalla Rasikar ” ( a person with great aesthetic sense and taste ) The movie has been shot in the same locations mentioned in the original novel , from Papanasam , Ambasamudhram and Kutralam to New Jersey and New York . His hero has no star appeal because he wanted a fresh face . That was Siddharth . Also , this being a very simple love story , without any heroism as dictated by commercial cinema , no established actors would fit the bill . His heroine Tamannah has really cooperated with great zeal . Playing a very complicated character , Tamannah has done a convincing portrayal of the same . When asked , why the director did not choose to do it as a two part movie sequel and combined both volumes into one movie script , he explained in his own simple expressions , displaying his deep understanding of the medium and the possibilities therein . He has used a flash back technique to start the movie where the story ends in the first volume , explaining the reasons for that end and starts the remaining part in the western hemisphere after the intermission . To keep the curiosity intact for the movie goers , he does not divulge any more . Asked about what some of the challenges were , “ A novel is nothing but a straight narration . But for cinematic expression one has to get creative . That ’ s why I used a specific story telling technique . One line in a novel could be very visually complex , while a whole page of description could be taken in a single shot . Judicious choice in these things was very challenging . Also , filming true to the locations described in the novel , especially when the location is in the US , like JFK airport had its own challenges !” He went on to add , only when he had edited the first cut and seen the rush , it occurred to him that the story is about a girl who always listens to her parents , and a boy who does not listen to his father , that fall in love with each other . Director Gandhi Krishna has carefully picked an accomplished production team . Jeeva Shankar , a talented cameraman , GV Prakash , whom the director has known from the ‘ Chikkubukku Raile ’ days , has done the music and has exhibited an amazing talent beyond his age . Vairamuthu has done the lyrics which are very apt for the theme of the story . Award winning Art director Thotta Tharani has done the art and Vijayan has done the editing . Asked about his life , dreams , vision , taste of success and his continuing journey , he smiled and said that he is from a modest family and in fact was the first graduate from his village and what he has done so far is just a beginning . He hopes to make many successful movies in the years to come from him own story lines as well as taking the works of great writers such as Sujatha . This director will go very far in his journey , because he has a sense of purpose and a seriousness of pursuit .