Medai: A film on the travails of stage dancers

Director S N Hariram feels a film on the plight of stage dancers has been long overdue in Tamil cinema. He claims his upcoming release, Medai, is the first of its kind.

The filmmaker, who won a state award for the best story for his debut venture Uyil Osai a good decade ago and followed it up with a forgettable outing titled Meenakshi Kadhalan Ilangovan, says he has gained a wealth of experience, thanks to assisting the late director Sree Kumar in Malayalam.

“I learned a lot about the craft of direction thanks to working on a few films of his. Those inputs were invaluable when I branched out on my own.”

Hariram says the script of Medai was on his mind for a long time since he had witnessed the ordeals of the dancers, both on stage and television.

“I have highlighted their travails and shown how they have a hard time making ends meet. The story revolves around a teenage girl who is happy in her own world filled with the love and support of four elder brothers. When love blossoms in her life, she faces a lot of challenges, which I’ve detailed in an imaginative way.”

After much scouting, Hariram found an actor for his lead character, Simbu, who pursues the girl. “Pugazh was happy to play the part, though I found him a bit wanting in his expressions at the beginning. I made sure to get all the artistes together for proper rehearsals before the shoot,” says the director, who believes the audience will respond well to his film, which has a soundtrack that consists of reworked versions of yesteryear hit songs.