His first film, Kaaka Muttai, was a simple story about two boys living in the slums of Chennai and longing for a slice of pizza. The film brought home two National Film Awards as M. Manikandan distinguished himself as a filmmaker to look out for.
Manikandan now returns with a murder mystery, Kuttrame Thandanai, featuring an ensemble cast that includes Malayalam actor Rahman and Tamil actors Nasser, Aishwarya Rajesh (of Kaaka Muttai fame), Vidarth and Pooja Devaria.
Manikandan was busy with post-production work and so could not be reached for an interview. Going by the trailers online it appears that the story is centred around the murder of a young woman.
Pooja Devaria, last seen in Karthik Subbaraj’s Iraivi, plays Anupriya, the young woman who is killed.
Devaria says her Anupriya is a simple and down-to-earth woman.
“She is someone we all must have met sometime,” she says.
Revealing more would be a spoiler, adds Devaria, who is paired opposite Vidharth in the film.
Kuttrame Thandanai has been celebrated at several film festivals including the Mumbai Film Festival and New York Film Festival. Veteran composer Ilayaraja has scored the music. Produced by Don Productions, Kuttrame Thandanai hits screens in India on September 2.
