A Miracle that's happened to me

If there’s anyone eagerly waiting for the release of Irandam Ulagam, it is the film’s hero, Arya himself. A movie that has been hogging newspace since 2006 when director Selva Raghavan had initially announced it, Irandam Ulagam is almost ready now, but a date hasn’t been announced just yet. “The shooting was completed almost six months back. It is in post production now,” reveals Arya before clarifying for us that the film is, “not a period film. It is a modern film.”

A pet project for Selva Raghavan, the movie has seen at least three changes in its star cast besides going into production four times. That is until Arya and Anushka Shetty finally bagged the roles, and the movie finally began shooting in 2011 without any further upheavals. “I have always wanted to work with Selva Raghavan because as a director, he is known for making out-of-the-box films, and Irandam Ulagam is certainly one of them,” Arya says adding, “In terms of its writing, Irandam Ulagam is certainly one of the most difficult movies to be translated from script to screen. In fact, Selva’s biggest challenge has been to make a film which, for all its CG effects, looks convincing and believable and not some Avatar-lookalike.”

In terms of preparation for the role, there’s no second guessing required to know that the actor probably gave it his all, be it getting the six-pack abs or getting into the skin of the character. “Preparation wise, I had to get six-pack abs, but Selva Raghavan also wanted me to look huge. So I had to really work hard on getting the look right,” he explains. But in terms of acting, Arya admits that he didn’t really have to sweat it out much because, “the director just asked me to come to the sets and leave the rest to him.”

For a movie that has so much hype surrounding it, it warrants asking if the actor feels the pressure? “Definitely yes,” he easily admits. “My main concern is that the movie recovers the money that’s been invested. I am confident about this film though,” he assuredly adds.

Now, for an actor who’s been riding high on successes, we quiz Arya about how he goes about choosing his films today. “My selection criteria has always been a combination of the producer, director and the script. For instance, Irandam Ulagam is a film that’s been made on a budget of Rs 50-60 crores. Now to market a film of such proportions you need a producer who is willing to invest in it. So, while as an actor you can be ambitious about the movies you want to do, you need a team that can equally support you in it. In that regard, I will say that Irandam Ulagam is a gift, or even better, a miracle that has happened to me.”

As a hero who is keyed up about the movie’s release, we quiz him about why audiences should go watch it, and Arya’s answer is the sort that can make a romantic-at-heart go awww.  “It is one of the purest love stories you will get to see. If you have loved someone sincerely, then you will come out of the movie feeling proud that you’ve loved someone so.The movie’s core message if that if you love someone dearly and have lost them, they will come back into your life again.”