Measuring around six inches long and quick as a dart, the rodent has ruffled the feathers of people from times of yore. From the story of ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’ to the animated series of ‘Tom And Jerry’ the rat continues to inspire artists and writers.
Tamil film ‘Monster’ grew from director Nelson Venkatesan’s exasperating experiences of living with a rat, to the point that he dreaded coming home.
This is Venkatesan’s second film after an impressive debut with ‘Oru Naal Koothu.’
‘Monster’ features Tamil actor SJ Suryah in the lead. He plays an assistant engineer working in the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board.
“Being a devotee of Saint Vallalar, he believes in compassion towards animals,” said Venkatesan.
‘Monster’ is a humorous take on his life turning upside down with the arrival of a rat into his house.
Priya Bhavani Shankar is paired opposite Suryah. She plays Meghala, a sales officer.
Venkatesan said that the writing of the story was easy — born from a bruised ego over the cat and mouse game that he was forced into by his house mate.
“The real challenges rose during its filming. I was clear that we will work with a live rat and not resort to computer graphics.”
Over the twenty days of shoot planned with a rat trainer, the crew got lessons on patience as they waited for the rat to make its moves and occupy the frame. Several re-takes were done to capture the right expressions.
Thanking SJ Suryah for his patience in the combination scenes with the rat, Venkatesan added that ‘Monster’ will reveal a different facet to Suryah’s acting prowess. Karunakaran plays a supporting role.
“It is a fun entertainer for children,” assured Venkatesan.
Justin Prabhakaran has composed music. Gokul Benoy is the DOP.
‘Monster’ produced by Potential Studios releases in UAE on May 17.
