Ever since the trailer of actor Soori’s Mandaadi dropped this past week, discussions online have revolved around the film’s spectacular visuals and the new world of boat racing it opens up its audiences to. What’s added to the hype is how it’s being touted as a film that must be experienced in IMAX, a fete unheard for what’s relatively a smaller budget film in Tamil.
Director and writer Mathimaran Pugazhendhi is fully aware of this hype and explains how it is the rootedness of the film that’s creating it. Adding that it would be an experience the viewer has never felt before, he says, “Mandaadi is not simply a film about a boat race. The race is the world, but the backbone of the film is its characters and their emotions. I wanted to take the audience into a world they may not have experienced before and then tell a very human story within it.”
The film takes place in a coastal setting in South Tamil Nadu that has seldom been explored before. The sea, the fishing communities, their traditions and the traditional sailing-boat race are all rooted in this world. “The sport has been passed down through generations, almost like a culture and an identity, with its own distinct character and history,” he says.
But finally, it's the characters and the human drama that makes you want to stay with this uniquely difficult setting. “At its heart, the film is about second chances, redemption and how difficult it is to win back what you have lost. The sea and the race give us the scale and intensity, but the real conflict comes from the people — their relationships, their pride, their anger, their love and the choices they make. I wanted the audience to experience the excitement of the sport, but also leave the theatre thinking about the people behind it.”
He says he couldn’t have pulled off the shoot of such a film, set almost entirely on the high seas, without the relentless commitment of its cast. “Soori sir completely surrendered himself to the world of the film. He trained physically, understood the community and approached the character not as someone playing a fisherman, but as a person who actually belongs to that world.”
Other actors include Suhas and Mahima Nambiar forming a part of the main cast, along with Sathyaraj, Ravindra Vijay, Mithun and Bala Saravanan. The film is shot by S.R. Kathir an edited by Pradeep E. Ragav along with music by G.V. Prakash Kumar, while Elred Kumar is the producer.
The director sums it up by saying, “Mandaadi is ultimately about people. The sea is its soul, the race is its heartbeat, but the emotions and characters are what drive the film.”