I was amazed by Lijomol Jose's performance in 'Loners': Director Halitha Shameem

Director Halitha Shameem says she was amazed by actress Lijomol Jose's performance in her film 'Loners', which happens to be one of the five episodes in the anthology 'Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadha' that is to release on Prime Video on January 14.

Talking about the talented actress, who shot to the limelight for her brilliant performance as Sengani in the critically acclaimed courtroom drama 'Jai Bhim', director Halitha says, "I liked Lijo's performance in 'Sivappu Manjal Pachai'. Dir Sasi, Dir Gnanavel and actor Manikandan - all three of them praised her and Manikandan, in particular, told me that I should work with her as she was way too sincere.

"I liked the way she presented herself in an awards event that we attended together. She was simple and down to earth, more relatable. When I approached her for the role, she read the script and enacted a few scenes. She recorded these on her phone and sent me the video clips. Tears started rolling as I watched those clips. I was truly amazed at her performance.

"'Loners' was recorded in sync sound. I didn't even do a bit of ADR with her! Her pronunciation and rendering of lines were all so perfect."

Talking about Lijomol's performance in 'Jai Bhim', the director says, "After watching 'Jai Bhim', I felt even more proud of her, for all the hard work."

In the episode 'Loners', directed by Halitha Shameem, Lijomol plays Nalla, who goes through a break-up during the pandemic and serendipitously meets Dheeran (played by Arjun Das) at a virtual wedding. What follows is a series of deep meaningful conversations that enables them to develop a bond virtually and be alone together.

Each story in 'Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa' is standalone and yet they are all bound together by the theme of personal discovery of hope and new beginnings through human connection. These are stories of optimism, love and second chances, set in the second Covid-19 lockdown.

The stories feature Aishwarya Lekshmi, Arjun Das, Dhilip Subbarayan, Gouri G Kishan, Joju George, Lijomol Jose, Nadiya Moidu, Nirmal Pillai, Sananth, and TeeJay Arunasalam, and are directed by Balaji Mohan, Halitha Shameem, Madhumita, Richard Anthony and Surya Krishna.