Radhika Sarathkumar's 'Thaai Kelavi' Look Stuns Kamal Haasan, Impresses British Diplomat

Actress Radhika Sarathkumar expressed gratitude to British Deputy High Commissioner Halima Holland for a warm meeting where the diplomat showed genuine curiosity about her upcoming film 'Thaai Kelavi'. Radhika revealed she first shared her dramatic prosthetic look for the film with Kamal Haasan, who was left awestruck. The film is a comedy-drama where she plays Pavunu Thaayi, a ruthless moneylender who terrifies her entire village. The movie, produced by Sudhan Sundaram and Sivakarthikeyan, is scheduled to release on February 20.

Key Points: Radhika's 'Thaai Kelavi' Look Wows Kamal Haasan, British Envoy

  • Warm diplomatic meeting about film
  • Kamal Haasan stunned by prosthetic look
  • Comedy drama about ruthless moneylender
  • Film set for February 20 release
  • Teaser shows village terrified of character
4 min read

Radhika Sarathkumar touched by British Deputy High Commissioner's genuine curiosity about 'Thaai Kelavi'

Actress Radhika Sarathkumar shares a warm meeting with British Deputy High Commissioner Halima Holland, who was curious about her film 'Thaai Kelavi', a role that also stunned Kamal Haasan.

"The first person I sent it to was Kamal sir. He saw it and was awestruck. - Radhika Sarathkumar"

Chennai, Feb 16

Actress Radhika Sarathkumar has now penned a note of gratitude to British Deputy High Commissioner Halima Holland for hosting her and for having a warm and engaging conversation during the course of which the latter expressed genuine curiosity about her upcoming film 'Thaai Kelavi' and the effort she had put in to get the look of the titular character in the film.

Taking to her Instagram page to pen the post of gratitude, Radhika Sarathkumar wrote, "A heartfelt thank you to the British Deputy High Commissioner Ms. Halima Holland and the wonderful team at the High Commission for hosting Rayane and I for such a warm and engaging conversation."

She further said, "What made it even more special was her genuine curiosity about 'Thaai Kelavi' - she took the time to ask about the entire process behind the look, the making, and the journey of the film. It was such a thoughtful exchange, moving seamlessly from conversations about the political climate and upcoming elections to the creative world of cinema. Truly grateful for the warmth and the thoughtful exchange. #britishhighcommissionchennai @rayanemithun."

It may be recalled that Radhika Sarathkumar, who plays the titular character in director Sivakumar Murugesan's eagerly awaited comedy drama 'Thaai Kizhavi', had earlier disclosed that she had sent the images of her character's look first to actor Kamal Haasan, who was literally awestruck by it!

Passion Studios, the production house producing the film, recently dropped a video detailing the idea and process adopted to achieve actress Radhika's look in the film. The makers disclosed that they realised that they required prosthetic make up support immediately after completing the sketching process. Actress Radhika is then seen disclosing,"The first person I sent it (images of her look in the film) to was Kamal sir. He saw it and was awestruck." The actress, then said, "Oh my God! Fantastic it was!" and goes on to describe her character in the film. "She's basically like a real OG Thug!," she said.

For the unaware, the film is to hit screens on February 20 this year.

A teaser released earlier by the makers has increased expectations from the film among fans and film buffs.

The hilarious teaser begins with a school boy being threatened by a woman. The woman tells the boy, "Grandma is going to come now. Better switch off the TV and run away to school. If grandma catches you, she will kill you."

It is not just the kid who is scared of the elderly woman, whose name we realise is Pavunu Thaayi. The entire village trembles on seeing her and scampers to get out of her way. We realise that Pavunu Thaayi is a ruthless moneylender, who will stoop to any level to collect the interest on the money that she has lent out to the villagers. She is a nightmare to the villagers with many of them wondering why when noble people keep dying, this woman manages to live.

Pavunu Thaayi knows that the villagers hate her and that if tomorrow she dies, nobody will be around for her death. She is seen saying, "If I am to die tomorrow, I will go all by myself to the graveyard and lie down in my grave myself. I am very strong. I have no diabetes, no blood pressure and no weakness." The teaser ends with some development that takes place that makes the villagers wonder if the old woman will kick the bucket...

The film, apart from Radhika as Thaai Kelavi, also features actors Singam Puli, Arul Doss, Bala Saravanan, Munishkanth, Ilavarasu, George Maryan, Muthukumar and Raichal Rabecca among others.

The film, which has been produced by Sudhan Sundaram and Sivakarthikeyan, has music by Nivas K Prasanna and editing by San Lokesh. Cinematography for the film is by Vivek Vijayakumar while art direction is by Ramu Thangaraj.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good to see soft diplomacy through art. When foreign officials take interest in our regional films, it bridges cultures. Radhika ma'am is a legend and her dedication to the look is evident. Kamal Haasan sir's reaction says it all!
A
Arjun K
The concept sounds fresh – a comedic, feared grandmother/moneylender. Radhika Sarathkumar is a powerhouse performer, so she'll nail it. Hope the film lives up to the hype. The production values from Passion Studios look promising.
S
Sarah B
As someone living abroad, it's heartwarming to read about such exchanges. It moves beyond politics and shows a shared human interest in storytelling. The description of the character Pavunu Thaayi is so vivid and funny. Looking forward to it!
V
Vikram M
While I appreciate the positive interaction, I hope our filmmakers also get similar curiosity and platforms within our own country for non-mainstream, regional content. The industry needs more domestic support systems too. That said, all the best for the release!
K
Karthik V
"Real OG Thug" 😂 Brilliant! The team behind this seems to have put in a lot of thought, from prosthetics to the village setting. Sivakarthikeyan as producer is a good sign for quality comedy. February 20 is marked on my calendar.

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