Directors Arunkumar M and Sabu Aloysius have wrapped up the shooting of a Kannada psychological thriller and will be announcing the name of the project on August 30. It will be launched by veteran actor V Ravichandran.
In a chat with Metrolife, Arunkumar shares his experience of venturing into new territory and making a movie during the pandemic. The movie is set to release next month.
What is the movie about?
The film explores the breakdown of a marriage, which takes a dark turn later. It is a nail-biting psychoanalytic thriller that keeps you gripped till the end and also reveals the inner workings of a toxic marriage. The movie is based on how the world of a couple turns upside down in less than 24 hours.
How was the experience of shooting post the second Covid wave?
My team and I had a horrible experience with Covid-19 last year, so this time we exercised extra caution. Our industry has suffered greatly because of the pandemic, but the experience has also brought us together. We shot the entire film in about 12 days and everyone involved was accommodating, despite hiccups (we endured). Be it actors Manvitha and Pruthvi or our on-field crew, everyone put their best foot forward.
Why did you choose a psychological thriller this time?
This is new territory for me and I am excited to explore it. As the movie is releasing on an OTT platform, I thought a psychological thriller makes more sense than a mainstream massy film. I believe mainstream movies, filled with comedy and action, don’t appeal to the small-screen audience as much. Content-oriented movies like thrillers are better suited for OTT platforms.
Why release it on OTT? Do you think it’s the future?
With Covid-19 and the uncertainty around us, an OTT platform felt like an appropriate choice. The rules relating to cinema halls keep changing, so we chose OTT to stay on the safer side. I can’t say it is the future entirely, but it is definitely going to be a big part of the future. Just like how we now shop both at malls and online, the same will happen with entertainment (sic). Both the medium will co-exist as they serve different needs. Cinema halls work for people who have leisure time, while the beauty of OTT is that it can entertain you anytime, anywhere, even if you have just one hour to spare.