‘Maragathamalai’ is a children’s film directed by female director S. Latha!
Filmed in a dense forest area and featuring stunning graphics, ‘Maragathamalai’ is a visual treat!
The film ‘Maragathamalai’ will appeal to everyone, from children to adults – Director S. Latha expresses her confidence.
While the arrival of children’s films and adventure-filled movies is rare in Tamil cinema, ‘Maragathamalai’ has been made as a film that will appeal to all age groups, from children to adults, encompassing both these aspects.
Debut director S. Latha has written the story, screenplay, dialogues, and lyrics, and has also produced the film under the banner of L.G. Movies.
Santhosh Prathap plays the lead role, with Deepshika as the female lead. Thambi Ramaiah and Jegan play important supporting roles. Master Shashanth makes his acting debut in a key role. Arima Varman, child artist Kalaikovarman, Mahithra, and many others have also acted in the film.
Animation sequences of animals such as tigers, snakes, elephants, and gorillas play a significant role in the film. Furthermore, the realistic animation of a dragon, a creature never before depicted in Tamil cinema, is a special highlight of this film. With all the film’s work completed, director and producer S. Latha, who has decided to release the film in April, met with journalists and spoke about the film, saying, “I like magical, king, queen, and animal-themed films, and I was interested in making such a film. So, I have written, directed, and produced it myself.
I have written the story of ‘Maragathamalai’ to take place in the 18th century. A gang of robbers tries to steal the treasure belonging to the Zamindar. To protect the treasure, the Zamindar sends his wife and children to a Kali temple in the forest. At that time, they all get separated. The story revolves around whether the separated family members reunited and whether the Zamindar’s treasure was saved, all told within an adventurous and magical world.
We shot in the Tada forest area for about 25 days. We used a real horse, but the other animals were created using graphics. However, the scenes have turned out so well that they don’t look like graphics. Similarly, we have also created a dragon in the film; no one in Tamil cinema has used a dragon in a film before, and we are the first to do so. This will be a special feature of the film.
While filming permits had not been granted in the Tada forest area for the past 15 years, we were given special permission because we were making a children’s film. At the same time, we were warned that tigers and many venomous snakes frequent the area at night. Since we were shooting with children, we conducted the filming successfully with great caution and safety measures.
The film has four songs. I have written a Ganesha song, and it has turned out very well. Singer Chinmayi has sung two songs. The songs will definitely be liked by the audience. Cinematographer Muthaiya’s work will surely be appreciated. All the technical crew and the actors and actresses in the film are well-known. Also, the film exceeded our expected budget for the graphics. Therefore, the film is a huge project.” It has been made on a budget.
When I narrated my story to some directors, they started making many changes, but I wasn’t happy with that. My wish was that my story should be made into a film exactly as I wrote it, without any changes. So, I decided that instead of giving it to others to direct, I would direct it myself, and that’s how I became a director.
Maragathamalai will be a great entertainer, not only for children but also for adults, with all the elements to appeal to everyone. We have completed the film and obtained the censor certificate. We have decided to release the film during the summer holidays. The film’s trailer and songs will be released soon, and we will share more interesting information about the film in subsequent meetings,” he said.
L.V. Muthu Ganesh has composed the music for this film, and P.G. Muthiah has handled the cinematography. Baiju Don Bosco is the editor, and P. Shanmugam has worked as the art director. Danger Mani has designed the fight sequences, while Poppy Master and Santhosh have choreographed the dance sequences. Pa. Vijay and K.T. Sesha have written the lyrics. K. Thandapani has served as the executive producer. Mallikarjuna Rao is the production manager, and Na. Vijay is the public relations officer.
