CHENNAI: The team behind the upcoming Tamil film Censor has announced plans to publish the film’s complete shooting screenplay as a book before the movie is made, a first for Tamil cinema.

Directed by Ramnath Palanikumar, known for films such as Ambasamudram Ambani, Thirunaal and Aadhaar, Censor will make its screenplay available to readers ahead of its theatrical release. In Tamil cinema, screenplays are usually published after a film’s release, often following its success.

The book will give readers, aspiring filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts an opportunity to explore the story, scenes and visual details as written, before they are interpreted on screen. Explaining the decision, Ramnath said, “A screenplay is the soul of a film and a distinct work of literature in its own right. In Tamil cinema, we traditionally celebrate the screenplay only after celebrating the stars on screen. By releasing the screenplay of Censor before the film’s theatrical arrival, we want audiences to experience the story in its purest, uncompromised form. This is an effort toward complete transparency and a dedication to the written word in Tamil cinema.”

The makers said the initiative reflects the importance of the written word in filmmaking. Further details about the film will be announced in the coming weeks.