‘Every single frame of Bumper will be relatable to audience’

CHENNAI: Our office premise was filled with fanfare and it took a while for us to bring the situation under control as GP Muthu’s fans mobbed him for a selfie. He acknowledges each and every individual before settling down. Director M Selvakumar and Vetri too, are spectators. Selvakumar says, “Even during the shoot, we faced similar situations with GP Muthu. People didn’t let him get out of his caravan and another time, they kept shouting his name out throughout the shot.” Meanwhile Muthu joins us and says, “I will never say ‘no’ to anyone approaching me for selfies. I still remember the day we were shooting for Bumper and my caravan was at risk of being toppled by a massive crowd that insisted that I come out and take selfies with them.” Selvakumar continues the story from there and adds, “We took Muthu to the middle of the sea and shot the rest of the scene there. He had to climb to the top deck of the boat and he pulled it off.” Muthu isn’t quite a huge fan of the shoot that took place on the boat and says, “I should say it was quite an horrid experience. I am scared of boats and other water transportations. That was the first time I was made to go into the sea and I was dizzy until I got out. However, the entire experience was worth it. I play the role of Thuppaki Pandiyan, a financier. Cinema to me is a new medium and I completely surrendered myself to the director.”

Selvakumar says that every character in the film are people he has crossed paths with in real life. “Be it Vetri’s character of Pulipandi or Muthu’s character of Thuppaki Pandiyan, they are characters that I have come across. They will be relatable on screen and that is the reason why we even started Bumper. I wanted each and every single frame to have a connect with the audience. In fact, my story would appeal to those in this room if you find me likeable or approachable. I strongly believe in it. The film is shot in live locations like Sabarimala and in locales of Tirunelveli and Kerala. We didn’t erect sets,” remarks the filmmaker.

The story revolves around lottery tickets, in which Vetri will be seen in a negative shade. “I have been involved in this film ever since 2018. When Selvakumar first told me the story, I was keen on doing it. The character sketch of Pulipandi is similar to that of Paruthiveeran. I know that I will be having back-to-back releases that have me in negative shades. But the entire team is confident about the way the movie has shaped up. So it doesn’t matter,” says Vetri.

On choosing to do a film on a subject that was relevant until 2003, since then Tamil Nadu has banned the sale of lottery tickets. “The current generation doesn’t know about the scam and the racket behind lottery tickets. We have told them how it was prevalent in south Tamil Nadu and even in Kerala. Bumper will have both Tamil and Malayalam artistes in it, speaking their respective languages,” he concludes.