From his phenomenal debut as the lead in ‘Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu’ (VKK) to a comical loser in ‘Bale Pandiya’ and a tough guy in ‘Drohi’, actor Vishnu Vishal has been a busy man. But now, the actor’s dream of working on a full-length romantic comedy comes true with ‘Kullanari Koottam ‘(KK), film by debutant director Sri Balaji.
Vishnu’s excitement is evident when he says, “Though VKK had some romance in the first half, it featured more of kabadi in the second. But KK is an out-and-out romantic comedy film that would have the audience in splits.”
Vishnu wouldn’t have much to complain, as the VKK team will keep him company, shooting with him for KK. “I’m happy that we’re working together again,” he says. “Since I knew the team even before we began shooting for VKK, the entire experience was an outing.”
The story is set in Madurai and playing Vishnu’s love-interest is Ramya Nambeesan.
“It’s a simple script and its screenplay is the plus point. I play a middle-class guy who has a wicked sense of humour. I worked hard on my body language and dialogue delivery, as these are essential for any comedy flick,” he adds. And here comes the surprise — there is no romantic scene in the film. “There’s a scene where the hero proposes to the heroine, but their love is captured in a song,” explains Vishnu. “Unlike some Madurai-based films, there’s no violence,
bloodshed and aruva in ‘Kullanari Koottam’,” he adds.
The movie does have an item number but without a woman. Bairavan, Appukutty, Suri, Pandi and Sundar from VKK, dance to the tunes of Selvaganesh.
KK is slated to release in April and the audio would be out soon. “Sri Balaji and I would be coming together again for another film. And talks are on for my second project with Suseenthiran,” informs Vishal.
Director Speak
A native of Madurai, Sri Balaji worked with Suseenthiran before making his debut with ‘Kullanari Koottam’.
“Coming from a middle-class family I’m quite familiar with the way people from a similar background dress and talk. I wanted my hero to play a middleclass man and Vishnu changed his looks to suit the role,” says Balaji.
What does the title convey?
“Like the proverbial kullanari (fox), the hero and his friends are cunning enough to complete a task,” he says.
And what’s the task?
“You’ll see that in the film.”