Good banner essential for film's success: Arivazhagan

Chennai, March 17 (IANS) Why did Tamil director Arivazhagan Venkatachalam wait for four years after his successful directorial debut "Eeram" in 2009? He says he was on the lookout for a big production house to fund his next project "Vallinam".

"A good production house is imperative to a film's success. Even though you may have a good film in place, but without a good production house, it is very unlikely that you may get a wider release. A good banner is an added advantage for every director provided he or she manages to rope in one," Arivazhagan told IANS

"Vallinam", a sports-drama, is produced by Venu Ravichandran, popularly known as Aascar Ravichandran who has invested in successful films such as "Anniyan", "Dasavatharam" and "Vaaranam Aayiram".

"After 'Eeram', I spent close to eight months scripting 'Vallinam' and then the real test to find a good production house started. I spent close to a year meeting different producers and eventually convinced Aascar to produce," he added.

Nakul and Mrudhula Basker play the lead in "Vallinam", set against a college backdrop. The film shows how basketball is used to intertwine friendship, romance and social awareness.

Atul Kulkarni, Siddharth Jonnalagadda, Amzath Khan, Jagan and Anupama Kumar feature in important roles.

Would you have waited longer had you not found a good producer?

"I most definitely would have. I waited almost two years before starting to shoot this film. Had I not found a good producer, then I would have definitely waited longer," said Arivazhagan.

The film is currently in post-production phase and is getting ready for April release. It has music by S.S. Thaman.

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Vallinam