Chennai: National Award-winning actor-filmmaker Samuthirakani says he wishes to make forthcoming Tamil directorial Appa, about bringing up children from the perspective of three different fathers, in 12 Indian languages as he feels the subject has the potential to travel to every nook and corner of the country.
"It's a subject that should reach everyone. It addresses several important issues and I wish it gets made in 12 languages. In Kannada, I'm already in talks with actor Shivrajkumar.
"For the Telugu remake, I'm in touch with actor Venkatesh and Nagarjuna. Director Priyadarshan will be watching the film soon and if he likes it, he said he will produce the Hindi version," Samuthirakani, who has directed as well as produced Appa, told IANS.
It was while working on Anbazhagan-directed 2012 Tamil film Sattai that Samuthirakani had penned the story of Appa.
"I wanted Anbu (Anbazhagan) to direct Appa too, and I had paid him advance even before the release of 'Sattai'. However, when everything had fallen in place and we were set to start working on 'Appa', Anbu had to assist his mentor Prabhu Solomon on another project unfortunately around the same time," he said.
Unable to sit idle with a completed story, Samuthirakani decided to go ahead and direct Appa.
"When I told Anbu that I'll direct the film, he was happy with my decision. Instead of hunting for a producer, I decided to fund the film. It was easy to pen the story; however, it took me eleven drafts to lock the final script," he said.
It wasn't a smooth ride for the Visaaranai actor as he had to overcome a set of challenges while shooting.
"When we landed in Neyveli to shoot, we learnt about the storm which had just started in the state. My friends and well-wishers asked me to return to Chennai, but I didn't want to leave without completing the project. Despite initial hindrances, we managed to complete the film in 34 days, he said.
The film, according to Samuthirakani, is inspired by his own relationship with his son and some real-life incidents.
"The story is about these three fathers and their sons. The first father is the kind of man who identifies his son's hidden talent and nurtures it. The second father chalks out the life of his son even before he is born. The third father tells his son to always lay low and live life without expectations and complications," he said.
"Several scenes are inspired from moments with my son. Since I play one of the fathers, I wrote scenes that have been part of my life. I have also addressed issues we face with our education system and how parents feel high scores are the be all and end all of a successful career," he added.
Samuthirakani enjoyed working with children in the film, which releases in cinemas on Friday.
"Working with children was very easy. They understood what I really want. The challenge was to act alongside them because most of them are so natural, they can give a seasoned actor a tough time in front of the screen," he said.
Although Samuthirakani doesn't expect his film to bring about change in the society, he hopes it at least inspires a few parents.
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