The first look poster of director Pa Ranjith’s upcoming film Vettuvam which translates to ‘The Hunted’ was launched at the Cannes film festival on Thursday, May 19. A hand-painted artwork, the poster with the image of a tiger, is likely to be a take on the dichotomy of power. As the title suggests, the film might discuss how one turns into the hunter or becomes the hunted. Vettuvam is produced by Abhayanand Singh, Piiyush Singh and Ashwini Choudhary of Golden Ratio Films in collaboration with Ranjith and Aditi Anand's Neelam Studios.
According to PTI’s report, Vettuvam will tell the story of a notorious gangster, Cholan, a modern-day Robin Hood, who establishes his control over the Ponni region of Tamil Nadu. As he fights to protect his people, he makes many enemies but also legions of supporters who swear by him. When his rivals realise that Cholan is too powerful for them, they harness the power of the state in an attempt to bring him down.
The Sarpatta Parambarai director, whose films have given voice to rising Dalit assertion in Tamil cinema, will begin filming Vettuvam later this year. The film will be ready for release in 2023.
It is not easy to consistently articulate a specific social consciousness in mainstream cinema but mainstream cinema, thanks to the reach and appeal it has, is the best vehicle that there can be for training the spotlight on stories of communities that have faced exploitation and marginalisation for centuries, Ranjith told the media.
The deeper question that Vettuvam will address hinges on power and on how historically those that wield power perpetuate a sense of inferiority and push people to the margins, said Ranjith.
The writer-director's calendar, which includes his long-awaited Hindi-language Birsa Munda biopic, is full for the next couple of years. Speaking about the biopic, Ranjith said, “In the current scenario, it is important to bring the Birsa Munda story to the big screen and highlight his social and political thought. Birsa Munda wasn't only a freedom fighter battling the British but also a crusader against exploitation of the tribal population by powerful landlords.”
As Vettuvam takes shape, Ranjith’s romantic comedy flick Natchathiram Nagargirathu is in the final stage of production. The director will be teaming up with actor Vikram for the new movie from next month. The Vikram starrer, Ranjith reveals, is set against the backdrop of early 19th century mining. He also has a film with Kamal Haasan in the pipeline.
Here's the First Look Poster of
— Neelam Productions (@officialneelam) May 19, 2022
Pa Ranjith’s #Vettuvam (The Hunted) @beemji @GRfilmssg @NeelamStudios_ @VMC_sg @DhoopAshwini @abhay_VMC @Tisaditi @1209Saurabh @PiiyushSingh @pro_guna pic.twitter.com/HnxNnunH4q
The first look poster of @beemji's #Vettuvam was released today at @Festival_Cannes!#PaRanjithInCannes #CannesFilmFestival2022@officialneelam @VMC_sg @GRfilmssg @DhoopAshwini @abhay_VMC @Tisaditi @LRCF6204 @1209Saurabh @PiiyushSingh @pro_guna pic.twitter.com/Z5R2cs7JF3
— Neelam Studios (@NeelamStudios_) May 19, 2022