‘Powder talks about a hard-hitting, relevant issue’

CHENNAI: As the Powder movie team walks into the office, people in the campus immediately recognise Nikil Murukan, the renowned south film publicist. Director Vijay Sri G is not a newbie as he was here to promote his film Dhadha 87. Anithra Nair grabs all the attention, who is clad in a red saree. Vijay Sri G doesn’t waste any time or minces words and quickly says, “Like Dhadha 87, Powder too carries a strong message. It is about five different stories that converge at a point and the narrative takes place across one night.” The Tamil cinema audience has witnessed several cocaine-related stories in the recent past and Vijay says Powder isn’t one. “Powder necessarily need not be related to drug abuse. The tagline of the film says ‘A Vijay Sri G makeup’. There are several people who wear makeup to their hearts and are known for their double standards. That is why I decided to keep Powder as the title,” he adds.

Nikil is unusually quiet and watches his director do the talking. He plays a cop named Raghavan and says, “Before you ask me, yes, I was inspired by Kamal Haasan’s character from Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu. I worked with him as the publicist for the movie and I am glad I could use the character’s name now.” He anchors his events and the publicist-actor says that cameras aren’t something new to him. “I keep looking forward to what’s next like DT Next and I wasn’t conscious in front of the camera. I became an actor because I believe in upgrading myself. I did several things like learning new languages and learning digital marketing during the lockdown. Acting fell in place as well. I went by Vijay’s vision. He believed I would be apt for the role,” he tells us.

Powder is Anithra’s second collaboration with Vijay Sri. “He is someone who knows what characters would suit me well. I play a role that many heroines would have turned down. I play a girl-next-door and the content too was strong. Not only me, Vaiyapuri, Rajendran too felt that their characters were penned in a commendable way,” she says.

Vijay Sri adds that though the film was shot in the lockdown, the story will still be relevant. “We had a lot of challenges shooting Powder. We had planned for night shoots and that is when the government announced night curfews. Acquiring permissions was difficult and we managed to pull it off. Though the story was written a few years ago, the issue is still relevant. The movie talks about women’s safety and the role of parents in a daughter’s life.” Leander Lee Marty says that such relevant topics helped him compose a strong background music for the film. “Moreover, I had Vijay Sri penning the lyrics. He is such a beautiful writer and the music will be a part of the narrative so that it elevates the film,” he concludes.