What is Kaakka Muttai all about? Director Manikandan opens up

Director Manigandan’s Kaakka Muttai featuring a bunch of kids has become the first Tamil film to be premiered in the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival. “We have not focused on the emotional side of life in a slum because the film is not intended to be emotional. We’ve tried to present a very realistic view of a world that’s part of our Indian cultural lifestyle. There’s lot of real-life humour. There are three songs as well but they will feature as montages. The film is not slow-paced as many festival films usually are. At the same time, we’ve avoided the default dance and songs format of narrative,” says Manikandan to IANS.

Jointly produced by Vetrimaaran’s Grass Root Film Company and Fox Star India, the film will have three screenings at the fest on Sep 5, 6 and 13th. “My producers really liked my short film ‘Wind’. They asked me make a film with universal theme. They wanted it have commercial elements to appeal theatre audiences as well as the ability to convince and move the festival crowd. My producers gave me a lot of support. There was no interference in the creative process and that helped me to churn out a satisfying product,” adds Manikandan.

Dhanush says he is thrilled and so is his friend Vetrimaaran. “As the producers of  the film, I and Vetrimaaran are proud and thrilled. I feel honored that a Tamil film is reaching international audience,” says Dhanush.