‘Had to keep Kovai Sarala in the skin of her character’

CHENNAI: The title and the first look posters of director Prabhu Solomon’s upcoming film were unveiled on Friday. Titled Sembi, the posters that had Kovai Sarala, Ashwin and a young girl have managed to capture many emotions. “I wanted it to be that way. If the emotions resonate with the audience, then we have succeeded in what we set out for,” says Prabhu Solomon. He says that the film doesn’t have romantic portions. “The film doesn’t have romance in it. I wanted to do away with certain clichés and Sembi is an experiment of sorts. It rides high on emotions and other interesting aspects of human sentiments,” he adds.

A film that has Ashwin in the lead would be perceived as a romantic film or with Kovai Sarala playing the other lead would be touted as a comical one. “There is no hero or lead character in Sembi. The story is the lead and this film is not about storytelling but to portray different emotions under a circumstance in the society. Sembi is a narrative of moments put together,” the director tells us.

We had earlier reported that the story takes place predominantly inside a bus. “There are 24 people-- rather characters inside a bus. The auditions were rigorous and challenging. A 10-year-old girl named Nila, from Avinashi plays the titular role and I had auditioned several children before zeroing in on her. Also, I initially planned to make a tribal woman play the 70-year-old grandmother’s role. But to teach her acting was again a time- consuming process. I wanted someone like Manorama aachi to play the role and I couldn’t think of anyone beyond Kovai Sarala,” says Prabhu Solomon with a smile.

It took a couple of days for the actress to get into the character. “She is enthusiastic and buzzes with energy. Her character in the film is the diametrically opposite. So, she asked me to keep her posted whenever I see Kovai Sarala peeking out in front of the camera. I had to remind her often to keep her in the skin of her character. She is someone who was on a par with Kamal Haasan in Sathi Leelavathi. Sembi will once again bring her talent out,” remarks the Kumki director. Produced by Trident Arts and AR Entertainment, the film has entered the post production stage. “We will rush the process and aim to release the film soon,” he concludes.

The film doesn’t have romance in it. I wanted to do away with certain clichés and Sembi is an experiment of sorts. It rides high on emotions and other interesting aspects of human sentiments