Hiphop Tamizha Aadhi on ‘Sivakumarin Sabadham’: My work is all about connecting with people

Last February, before the pandemic hit us, Aadhi of Hiphop Tamizha fame took a one-day trip to Kanchipuram. There was a wedding in the family, and saris had to be bought. “I was called to do driver velai,” he grins, recalling that day.

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Even as the ladies in his family sifted through various sari designs, a bored Aadhi chatted up with the shopkeeper and pestered him to show him how they weave threads into a sari. “I got a first-hand glimpse into the whole process and the livelihoods of the people behind it.”

Aadhi knew there was a film idea somewhere there, but he still needed a young hero. “If you’ve been to Kanchipuram, you might see a group of guys hanging around on bikes when you enter town. If you are a tourist, they will guide you to the shops, depending on your budget and preference.”

Aadhi envisioned himself as one of those guys, named that character Sivakumar, and weaved a storyline out of it. That film is Sivakumarin Sabadham (SS), releasing on September 30 in theatres. Produced by Sathya Jyothi Films, it features Madhuri, Prankster Rahul and a host of newcomers.

Its calling card, of course, is Aadhi himself, who has written and directed it, apart from scoring the music and starring in it. “When I was in college, we would study and produce, shoot and direct music videos on the side. We have even physically distributed our CDs to people back then! Today, I do pretty much the same job, but am being paid for it and have an audience watching the content I put out. SS came along with a lot of pressure as it was a big project and needed to be shot with intense pandemic protocols. But it has me doing all the things I am very passionate about.”

Aadhi wrote SS as a theatrical, because he is convinced that cinema hall is a place that connects people. “When people connect with a sequence on screen, it becomes a successful theatrical moment. Take the ‘Vaadi Pulla’ song from Meesaya Muruku. If a person oblivious to the song watches it in the theatre, he might be puzzled as to why everyone is cheering…but that is because the song has already clicked, and fans erupt at seeing the meaning of song being fulfilled on the big screen.”

So, how does he work towards creating such moments which connect with youngsters? “It automatically falls in place, because I am always connected with ground reality. I am first an audience, and then a filmmaker. My team is like a training ground for aspirants; in Meesaya Muruku, we introduced a dozen people who are now doing various things on their own. I want everyone in my team to grow bigger than me.”

With Anbarivu and another project lined up, Aadhi believes that he is growing as an actor. “When my first film released in 2017, it clashed with Vikram Vedha at the box office. The collection of Vikram Vedha was huge, but my film opened bigger than them in the opening day. That is because a big group of youngsters came to the theatres that day. Since then, the openings of my films have become much bigger. And today, there is a production house that is investing and making me a star….”