Known for his work as a cinematographer in films such as Bombay, Guru and Kadal, lensman Rajiv Menon made his directorial debut with the Arvind Swami starrer Minsara Kanavu in 1997 and followed it up with Kandukondain Kandukondain.
18 years later, Menon has returned to direction with the G.V Prakash Kumar starrer Sarvam Thaalam Mayam, a musical featuring A.R Rahman’s music. The project was officially launched on Thursday.
It is rumored to be a local take on the award-winning film Whiplash, with Prakash playing the role of a drum-playing priest. On the occasion of the film’s launch, the first look poster was also revealed and it features Prakash clad in a white dhoti and red shawl (or a gamcha) and mridangam.
Menon’s project was announced earlier this year. However, it was subsequently rumored to be put on the back-burner after nobody was willing to come forward to fund it. At one point, it was believed that Prakash himself would produce the film and Menon will co-produce it. After months of dilly-dallying, the film finally found a producer. The film is expected to hit the screens during the summer of next year.
On the career front, composer-actor GV Prakash Kumar is undoubtedly one of the busiest actors in Kollywood. With nearly half a dozen projects in his kitty, he is said to have recently signed one more film with director Arivazhagan, who last made the critically-acclaimed Kuttram 23. It is rumoured that Arivazhagan has roped in Prakash for a crime-thriller and the project is the final stages of negotiation.
A reliable source close to Prakash has confirmed that he has given his nod in principle, but he is yet to sign on the dotted line. Talking about the project, a source close to Prakash said. “It’s true they’ve discussed an idea and are planning to work on it. However, the project might take time to materialize as Arivazhagan is busy finding a producer. It’ll be a crime-thriller and Prakash will play a role that’s totally unexpected of him. The project should roll from this year-end.”
Arivazhagan was supposed to work on a women-centric project with Manju Warrier, and had even approached the actor who liked what she heard. Unfortunately, there’s been no development on that front since their first meeting. Prakash’s most anticipated project is Bala’s Naachiyar, in which he has teamed up with Jyothika. It’s a crime-thriller set in Chennai and Tanjore. He also has projects such as Adangathey, 4G, Semma, Kuppathu Raja, and Ayngaran, apart from the Tamil remakes of Telugu films 100 % Love and Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada.