*A Shortflix movie “Navayuga Kannagi”* *A new-fangled movie baed on Honour Killings* Kiran Durairaj, who has proved his proficiency in short films has written, directed and produced this movie ‘Navayuga Kannagi’. The entire star-cast of this film comprises the trained artistes from the world of stage plays, and newcomers. It is noteworthy that the film marks the debut for all the technicians as well. The film is based on several real life events. Tamil cinema has witnessed the arrival of movies, which have focalized upon the societal evils of Casteism. While most of them have inclined to the cliched pattern of expressing views from stereotypical presentation, ‘Navayuga Kannagi’ will not fall into this run-off-the-mill domain. Significantly, it will leave a deep impact on everyone, after watching the film. Kiran Durairaj has produced this film, which will be streaming on Short Flix OTT platform soon. Pavithra Thenpandian has played the titular character in this film, which has Vimal Kumar, Denzel George, Thenpandian, Jayaprakash and many others playing pivotal roles. The film has two songs, crooned by Chinmayi and Saindhavi. Alvin bruno has composed songs and Kevin Clifford has composed background score for this film. Dharamadheeran P is handling cinematography and Mohan Kumar Thangaraj is overseeing art works. With the film premiering on ShortFlix, the film’s director sheds light on this film. Director Kiran Durairaj says, “When the Pandya King gave an unjust judgement, thereby killing a genuine and honest man, his wife Kannagi avenged by setting Madurai ablaze. Set in contemporary times, Swathi’s life is struck by disaster, when her family kills her boyfriend in the name of honour killing, and forces her to get married with another man. How she seeks revenge in an unprecedented manner forms the crux of this story.” The film’s first look has been unveiled today and the movie will be premiering on SHORTFLIX OTT platform in December. Sharing about his backdrop, Kiran Durairaj says, “I am a Tamilian with Vellore as my native, and am now settled in Bangalore. I started making short films out of passion, and it was the only way to get into film industry as I didn’t have any contacts here. I was fascinated with the Jigarthanda Part 1 and that’s when I started making short films. In 2015, I made a short film titled ‘Matha Pitha Guru Deivam’, based on a real life incident that happened in Bangalore, and streamed it on YouTube. Later, I made a pilot film with a runtime of 35 minutes on the lines of Maanagaram and Super Deluxe. I wanted to make it as a full-length feature movie, but couldn’t materialise it due to budget constraints. After coming to Chennai, I came across many people, who by getting to know my caste, started assuming their own perceptions about my nature. This prompted me to make a movie based on this concept. Navayuga Kannagi is based on an incident that happened near Bangalore, which left a deep impact on me. Filmmakers like Pa. Ranjith, Mohan G and others have making caste based movies from their perspectives. Initially, when I started working on this movie, I too had a same motto of making it, but later changed my idea after coming across certain incidents and experiences. So, I decided to make the film that has equal prominence and perspective from both sides. I am sure, audiences will feel the same after watching the film. Usually, such stories are narrated from the female point of view, but I have tried doing it from the bridegroom’s view. The film has Vellore, Katpadi and Kudiyatham as the backdrops. These three cities reflects the characters of three people. The film has been shot at my native place of Vellore. I have produced and edited the film as well. During my initial days herein Chennai, many used to think that I am a Kannadiga, due to my Tamil speaking style. So, I decided to work with my team, who travelled from my short film days. The entire team are Tamilians from Bangalore, and although they are new to cinema, all are well-versed in theatre plays. We had proper rehearsals with all the actors for a month before starting the shoot. There are some close intimate scenes in this movie. Initially, we didn’t have the heroine finalised, and it was later Pavithra Thenpandian came into the picture. She is an experienced theatre artiste. She has done a commendable performance in this movie, and her character will be much talked about after the film’s release. The film will have its OTT premiere in the month of December. The other actors in the movie like Vimal Kumar and Denzel also have a theatre background. The film with a run time of 1 hour 45 minutes. We approached several OTT platforms for the film’s release, but many didn’t encourage as all of us are newcomers. However, Short Flix encouraged us and even escalated the value of this film by bringing in ace singers like Chinmayi and Saindhavi for songs, and spending a huge budget to elevate the value of this film. I am planning to direct movies based on serial murders, football politics. Bangalore has the maximum number of footballs, and most of them are Tamilians. However, there are lots politics involved in this, and I am planning to showcase this in my forthcoming movie.” *Star-Cast and Technical Crew* Writer – Director – EditorKiran DurairajCastPavithra Thenpandian Vimal KumarE Denzel George Thenpandian K JayaprakashCinematographer Dharamadheeran PMusic director Kevin CliffordArt directorMohan Kumar ThangarajSingersSaindhavi GV Prakash Chinmayi SripaadaAnirudh Renuka AjaySong composer Alvin brunoLyricist Daniel SilvanusStuntKiran SProducer Komathi Durairaj
