House Owner has been an emotional journey: Lakshmi

The film, inspired by a real-life incident is made against the backdrop of the 2015 Chennai floods. “That was one moment when the people of the city came together to help their fellow citizens. That was the time where humanity transcended religion, caste and creed. That inspired me to write the story,” opens up Lakshmi Ramakrishnan. She also says that the story that revolves around a middle-aged couple who go through horrendous situations during flood. “There were several mishaps that happened around the 2015 flood. I decided to take this story up because the couple was personally connected to me. I took up the script out of motivation and couldn’t proceed at one point in time because I didn’t feel the spark inside me half way through the scripting stage. Apart from that there were several other incidents that happened at the same time. So, I didn’t want to do this film for the sake of it and to prove others wrong. I revived the project last year, around June 10 and we are now ready to release today. It has been an emotional journey,” she elaborates.

Kishore and Sriranjini, who play Colonel Vasudevan and Radha look at Lakshmi in adulation as she takes them through the journey. Before Kishore does the talking, he says, “Ladies first. So, I will let her talk first.” She thanks him and says, “Ever since Lakshmi approached me for the film, I completely surrendered myself to her. She has put her heart and soul into this project. Initially I was sceptical if I could play Radha and the audience would accept me. She made me believe and took me through the process. It is a huge responsibility for me as I should be able to understand what she wants to convey to the audience through Radha. After a few days, I was totally drawn to the character.” Kishore then in a lighter vein says, “She is delivering a thanksgiving speech.” Sriranjani with a determination, replies, “No, I will have to say this because these are the things that made my character work in front of the camera.” When it’s Kishore’s turn to speak, he prefers to maintain a low-profile. “I don’t know how Lakshmi decided to choose me among other better actors. Maybe she wasn’t looking for an actor as this role requires us to be ourselves,” he smiles. Lakshmi and Sriranjini strongly disagree with him, while Lakshmi says, “He is the epitome of modesty. There are certain closeup shots in which we were in awe of Kishore. He has brought Vasu back to life with this role. Also, certain mannerisms of Sriranjini wont go unnoticed and you will know when you watch the film.” Kishore’s looks in films he has been a part of have always been the talking point for the audience. “In this, the entire team worked on my looks. Once, looks are perfect, they take care of 50 per cent of an artiste’s performance. Moreover, the minute detailing in House Owner will convey the story. I saw that in Vetrimaaran in films like Aadukalam and Vada Chennai. Now, Lakshmi has done that in House Owner.” On a concluding note, we ask the team if they are satisfied with the release date and screen allocations. “I’m not okay with it. There is another big film releasing with this and we have been given only 33 screens. I have no expectations from the audience during the film’s theatrical run. If they like it, the screens indeed will be increased,” she concludes.