Azhagan Azhagi - One film, 34 newcomers

The cast of director Nanda Periyaswamy's Azhagan Azhagi is exceptional - the Tamil romantic-comedy will launch as many as 34 debutants, including the lead pair.

Also, the love story is being made with a TV reality show as its backdrop. "Besides the lead cast, which is also played by newcomers, I've roped in 32 debutants in important roles for the film. All of them will undergo an acting workshop before they join the team for shooting," Nanda told IANS.

"The film focuses on the impact of television medium on our lives. These 32 members are part of a television reality show being exclusively made for the film, in which they will get to essay different roles," he added.

The film, which stars debutants Joe and Aarusi, also features A Venkatesh and Ravi Maria in important roles.

Queried if the film is about TV reality shows, Nanda said, "No, it's not about reality shows. It's a love story between two contestants of a TV show. Apart from the love angle, we are trying to throw some light on the television medium."

"We've had different types of love stories - some start in college or school or through common friends. So we wanted to break all the clichés by painting love against a different backdrop and, therefore, chose TV as the backdrop," he added.

The film, which went on floors recently, has been so far shot in places like Chennai, Kaaraikudi and Ramanathapuram. Another 40-50 days of shooting is left. Kannan has composed the music for Azhagan Azhagi, which is being produced by Visu-Viji.

IANS