Kadamban is another name for the Hindu deity Murugan, who is looked up to as a saviour, especially by the tribal population living amid the mountains.
When one such tribal village is threatened by a corporate group, a young man from the village, Kadamban, goes all out to protect his people.
Directed and written by Ragava, this story is about the clash between the corporate group and the local tribals.
Arya plays the lead role of Kadamban, a bold and rugged native. Catherine Tresa is paired opposite him as Rathi, living in the same village.
“It’s a commercial entertainer through which I have slipped in a social message on the hazards of destroying nature and the environment,” said Raghava remembered for his debut film Manja Pai.
“Arya lived the life of Kadamban for over a year,” he said, “working on his physique and the body language.”
The role required him to jump from high mountain tops and fight in the company of fifty elephants.
Arya and Tresa did not use any dupes for the stunts, added Ragava.
Kadamban was shot in the mountains of Thalakona (Andhra Pradesh), Kodaikanal, (Tamil Nadu), Vagamon (Kerala) and Thailand.
For the climax scene, shot in Thailand and involving around 50 elephants, the team spent ten days with the elephants understanding and interacting with them.
“They bonded well with us,” Raghava said.
The elephants, used to performing at shows, were trained to do action sequences. On one occasion while shooting the climax portion, cinematographer Satish Kumar tripped and fell down while following a herd of pachyderms.
“We watched stunned as one elephant stopped in its tracks and moved aside. It waited till Satish lifted himself up.”
Bollywood’s Deepraj Rana plays the villain in this story. The supporting cast includes Murugadoss, Super Subbarayan and Y.G. Mahendran. S.R Satish Kumar is the cinematographer. Yuvan Shankar Raja has scored music.
Kadamban, produced by Super Good Films and The Show People, releases in UAE on April 13.
