‘Mask has a human connect to it’

CHENNAI: Director Vikarnan and actor Ruhani Sharma meet us over lunch to promote their film Mask that will hit the screens in a few hours’ time. Before settling down for the interview, Vikarnan likes to name people by their looks and addresses each one of us with a common name. Now the conversation leans to Mask. “If I have to define Mask in a few words, I would call it a human connection. The film will resonate with the audience, who come to the theatres to watch the movie. The common names we discussed now will be the ones you would see on screen upon the film’s release. Though it has a little over-the-top style of narration to it, and the characters in it, the story boils down to people who we come across every day,” he begins.

Mask is Ruhani’s sophomore project in Tamil cinema. She plays Kavin’s co-star in the film that is co-produced by Andrea Jeremiah. “I see Mask as the right start for me in Tamil cinema. One thing that I really enjoyed working in Mask is that it was a different experience for me and I had the opportunity to work with the right people. Having worked in Hindi, Malayalam and predominantly in Telugu, coming back to Chennai and working was interesting. Life is like a university and we keep learning everyday in whatever we do­– learning a new culture and speaking a new language. When you get a chance to work with such a great team, everything else falls in place,” she remarks.

Divulging more about the storyline, Vikarnan doesn’t mince words and calls it a massy entertainer. “The story keeps evolving and it is made for audiences of all ages and sections, It is just about time that they embrace it,” he tells us. Not often we see a film mentored by an industry veteran. Vetrimaaran is the mentor of Mask. “I wanted to use Vaathiyar. Vaathiyaraaga Vetrimaaran. I narrated the script to Andrea ma’am first who later recommended it to Vetrimaaran sir, who put things together for us,” says the filmmaker.

Ruhani calls her character in the film as “not just another character”. “Certainly not an eye candy, who plays a touch-and-go role. There is a lot beyond that. My character in the film is very soulful and that intrigued me to the film,” she adds. The film has music composed by two-time National award winner GV Prakash. “The songs and the background score are just brilliant. Music is in fact the number one protagonist and GV is a person just like his music. He is awesome. The way he sits down and listens to us despite his busy time is commendable,” concludes Vikarnan.