Nayanthara’s next takes an inspirational route

We had earlier reported that Nilesh Krishnaa, an erstwhile assistant of Shankar, is making his directorial debut with Nayanthara’s milestone 75th film. Letting in on the writing process that began in 2019, Nilesh says, “I had Nayanthara ma’am in mind while writing the film. I narrated the script to her in August 2021. We were supposed to start filming by July 2022, but due to some scheduling conflicts, we finally started shooting this March.” 

Tentatively titled Lady Superstar 75, Nilesh shares that this will be completely different from what the actor has done so far. “Nayan ma’am has done thrillers, horror films, and action films too. This film will be a family entertainer that has an inspirational story at the centre of it all,” says Nilesh, who is planning to finish the other schedules in Chennai and Trichy. Apart from Nayanthara, the film stars her Raja Rani co-stars Jai and Sathyaraj, and Yaaradi Nee Mohini co-actor Karthik Kumar. Talking about the interesting casting of Lady Superstar 75, Nilesh says, “Sathyaraj sir was my first and only choice for a role.

Incidentally, when I narrated the script to Nayan ma’am she actually asked if I had Sathyaraj sir in mind.” Discussing the casting of Jai, another Raja Rani alumni, Nilesh shares that he initially wanted the actor to play the role that is now being played by Karthik Kumar. “The toughest role to crack was Karthik’s character because we wanted someone who was familiar yet away from the big screen.

We looked at a lot of options, and it was Nayan ma’am who asked me to wait till I found the right actor,” says Nilesh, adding, “Similarly, it was Nayan ma’am, who thought Jai was the right choice. We knew the Raja Rani nostalgia would be high, so I rewrote the character arc to ensure this pairing would feel fresh even if it has already been seen in another film.” With other experienced actors like Achyuth Kumar, Sachu, and Renuka as part of the cast, Nilesh admits that it felt surreal to shoot with them.

“To see them say the lines I wrote was a very special feeling. A stalwart like Sathyaraj sir used to address me as ‘director sir’ and both him and Nayan ma’am were so accommodating to a debut director like me. The collective experience of the actors made my life easy and I could concentrate on other aspects of the film,” says Nilesh, who reveals that the scale of the project went up by multiple notches with the technical team of the film. While the music is composed by S Thaman, the cinematography is by Sathyan Sooryan.

When pointed out that this film is so unlike anything Sathyan Sooryan has done so far, Nilesh agrees, and says, “He is ruling the roost in Telugu and Tamil, and is fresh off the success of Dasara. I wanted a rich and glossy look, and in fact, I hardly have night scenes in the film. I have known for him a long time now, and he is not someone who shies away from challenges. I believe he found this film to be a challenge, and the strength of the story did the rest.”