That unnerved feeling preceding a jump scare or a lingering spook is a thrill many of us don’t care to admit we enjoy. The scarier the film, the greater the excitement, even if it means sleepless nights and frightening thoughts. Horror is a genre that film buffs can’t do without.
Trilingual film Aval (Tamil), Gruham (Telugu), and The House Next Door (Hindi) promises an experience that will be unforgettable, assured Tamil actor Siddharth.
Sidharth is playing the lead in this story that he co-wrote with close buddy Milind Rau. Rau and Siddharth, who first met on the sets of Maniratnam’s Kannathil Muthamittal as assistant directors, soon bonded over a common love for horror stories.
This is Rau’s directorial debut. This story is based on a real incident which occurred in a mutual friend’s life.
“While retaining the core of the story, we have dramatised and fictionalised the narrative to make it appealing for the audience,” said Rau.
Siddharth plays Dr Krish, an expert neurosurgeon who is married to Lakshmi, a homemaker.
“They are madly in love and still in their honeymoon phase when they move to their new home. When strange things happen next door, they find themselves getting involved in their neighbour’s life,” said Siddharth.
Andrea plays Lakshmi. Bollywood’s Atul Kulkarni plays Paul their neighbour. Siddharth and Kulkarni last worked together twelve years ago in Rang De Basanti.
Newcomer Anisha Victor marks her debut as Jenny, around whom the story is pivoted.
“We wanted a new face so that viewers do not carry any preconceived notions,” added Rau. “She is fantastic.”
The script was in the making for four and a half years, revealed Siddharth.
Finding the right place to set the story and transport the jump scares from the storyboard to this space were the initial challenges. Once they pinned on a house in Manali, the team went ahead.
Being loyal fans of horror films and having watched many in this genre right from Omen and Exorcist to Jan Wan’s films, Rau and Siddharth were bent on treating their film with the respect it deserved and not resort to substandard techniques.
“We worked on the horror elements for a long time, right from the boarding stage with character sketches,” said Rau.
Not for them the stereotypical make-up with powdered faces. They brought on board National Award-winning make-up and prosthetic artist Preeti Sheel. Rau revealed that the prosthetic work took around four hours.
“As for the jump scares, we tried making them very real and lend a supernatural feel without appearing outlandish in the story. It’s not just treating the characters with VFX effects but using a blend of VFX and make-up,” said Rau.
Girish Gopalakrishnan has composed music. Shreyas Krishna is the DOP. Siddharth has co-produced it under his company Etaki Entertainment, along with Viacom18 Motion Pictures.
Don’t miss it
Aval releases in the UAE on November 2.
