‘We don’t come across a script like Magamuni often’

Arya was joined by the female leads of the film, Mahima Nambiar and Indhuja as the fans outside the premises tried to catch a glimpse of them. Since the release of Magamuni’s trailer, there have been speculations on Arya’s roles and the characters. Arya says, “This is director Santhakumar’s second film after Mouna Guru. He is making a film after eight years. Usually, any director will be sceptical about making a comeback after a long hiatus. However, Santha was confident right from the beginning and was clear on what he wanted. He used the break by adding things that he personally experienced into the script of Magamuni.” The actor adds that he will be playing dual role in the film. “As the title suggests, I play the characters of Maga and Muni. Maga is a hitman while Muni practises Brahmacharyam. The story revolves around the people these characters meet, situations they face and their converging point,” he tells us.

The trailer of the film showed Mahima and Indhuja in contrasting shades. Indhuja says, “I play the role of Maga’s wife, who is not a well-educated girl for whom her family means the world. She is fully dependent on her husband.” Mahima’s character on the other hand looked more like a rebel. The actress says, “I play Deepa, a journalism student. When I met Santhakumar, I had specific look in my mind, when he told me that I will be playing a journalist. However, when he narrated it to me, I understood the depth it had. I had to wear a dark lipstick and look exhausted with dark circles underneath my eyes. I realised that my performance in the film will be the best makeover that I could have.”

Arya is known for his performances in Naan Kadavul, Avan Ivan and Kadamban among others. According to him Magamuni too will be a milestone film in his career. “A film like Magamuni doesn’t happen too often. I was excited that a director like Santhakumar, who proved his mettle in his debut film will be raring to go after a gap of eight years. When shooting for the film I realised that I’d have regretted if I had missed the opportunity,” he reveals. Arya candidly says that it didn’t take a lot of time for him to switchover between his characters of Maga and Muni on the sets. “I know only the character sketch of Maga while shooting for the portions and had no idea about Muni. Santha explained to me about Muni’s role only hours before we shot for it, which made things easier for me,” he says.

Arya was lauded by the audience for his performance in the film’s sneak peek in which he visits a hospital after he is stabbed with a knife in his back. “All credit goes to Santha. He wanted it subtle. The scene is a depiction of lower middle-class people, who always feel a tinge of pain in their back. It is about the hardship that they go through and how they continue their routine with the pain. It wasn’t about the knife, it was about the pain. I was awed by this explanation and I got the gist of how he wants to convey the reality to the audience.” While Arya says that it was easy for him to switch between Maga and Muni, Indhuja reveals, “It wasn’t easy for me. The lines hit me hard and there were days I broke down on the sets.” Mahima seconds Indhuja and says with a laugh, “I still have shades of Deepa left in me. Her character is tomboyish and the way she walks, or talks isn’t that of typical heroine characters we see in Tamil cinema. Even now, I sometimes behave like Deepa when I walk or sit.” The team posed for selfies before they brought down the curtains on what was a long day for them.