Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi in Tamil film ‘Amaran’
A video of an armyman teaching the popular Tamil poet Subramania Bharati’s song ‘Achamillai Achamillai’ to his three-year-old daughter piqued Rajkumar Periasamy’s curiosity, way back in 2014.
An aspiring filmmaker then, Rajkumar wanted to know more about this man. The result of that curiosity is Amaran, the film starring Sivakarthikeyan that is releasing this Deepavali.
Amaran is based on Major Mukund Varadarajan’s journey; the Indian Army officer was killed during counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir while leading his 44 Rashtriya Rifles unit, and awarded the Ashok Chakra, the nation’s highest gallantry award during peace time, posthumously. “He (Mukund) saw it as a duty to teach the patriotic song to his daughter, without knowing the fate that awaited him. It sums up the values he had,” Rajkumar says.
For many, Major Mukund Varadarajan was the inspiring Indian hero who was killed in action; Amaran features that, but it also gives us a peek into the kind of man he was and the student life he had at Madras Christian College, where he also met his future partner, Indhu Rebecca Varghese (played by Sai Pallavi). “Cinema audiences crave larger-than-life scenes, and the life of army men is embedded with larger-than-life moments. Mukund the soldier stems from Mukund the man himself,” adds Rajkumar.
Sivakarthikeyan with director Rajkumar Periasamy
Off to Kashmir
Rajkumar, who directed Rangoon in 2017, went to Kamal Haasan with the story of Major Mukund, and the latter was convinced that this was a story that needed to be told on the big screen. Kamal has produced Amaran. “When I pitched the idea to Kamal Haasan, he was so moved that he remarked: “I wish I could have given 30 years from my life to this boy,” recalls Rajkumar, who has also worked closely with Kamal Haasan for Tamil reality show Bigg Boss.
They then roped in Sivakarthikeyan for the lead role. “He respects the armed forces, and I knew he would respect the story. He was ready to transform himself for this role. I see Amaran as not your regular Sivakarthikeyan film; it will be an important transition in his career.”
Bhuvan Arora with Sai Pallavi
Sai Pallavi as Indhu Rebeca Varghese is crucial to the film, so much so that the actress reportedly signed a contract that her scenes not be cut. “It is the emotional anchor for the film. You cannot tell the story of Mukund without that of Indhu’s. She was encouraging, supportive and gave her all for the relationship. After shooting the climax, I told the family to not watch the film because it might trigger horrifying memories for them. But, maybe because they have seen the reality, they have come to terms with it. Whenever we speak about Mukund, they are always smiling. They enjoy sharing things about him.”
That includes his exploits in Kashmir, where a lot of the film was also shot. Rajkumar stresses that Kashmir is not a location, but a “character in the film”. “I still remember the first day of shoot – May 4, 2023 – at the 44 Rasthriya Rifles headquarters. There is a small memorial there commemorating the 44 RR martyrs, where we had a special puja. Colonel Gaurav Dixit, the commanding officer of the battalion, arranged the puja, before we did our first shot. They had planned this and it was very special for us,” he recalls, adding, “The terrain was tough to operate in. It’s also a sensitive place politically, so it was tough to shoot there, but the soldiers helped us throughout.”
Bhuvan Arora’s tryst with ‘Amaran’
Bhuvan Arora, a Bollywood actor well known for his outing in Farzi, debuts in Tamil cinema with Amaran, where he plays Sivakarthikeyan’s friend and colleague. “My father was an Army officer (Shyamlal Arora) and wanted me to join the armed forces too. So, to wear that uniform for Amaran was such a proud moment. Everyone was so welcoming during the first day of the shoot. Apart from the long monologue in Tamil that I had to deliver that day – which was a little terrifying – everything was smooth,” says Bhuvan.
Sports and studies were not exactly Bhuvan’s cup of tea, but dramatics was always a big draw. “I was fascinated with cinema,” says Bhuvan, who studied acting at FTII Pune in 2009-11, “Kamal Haasan sir had actually come for a guest lecture for us and it’s a dream come true that today I’m acting in his production.”
Published – October 30, 2024 12:59 pm IST