Spirit of soccer brought alive on the sets of champion

We spotted the director looking at the monitor with a microphone in his hand. He waves at us and asks us to join him to take a look at the rushes. “Today is the last day of shoot and we will call it a wrap for Champion this evening,” says the director. As we look at football jersey-clad actors in front of the camera, wielded by Sujith Sarang, Susienthran says, “He is Vishwa the hero of the film and one of the girls sitting on the bench, cheering for them is Sowmiya, who plays his love interest in Vishwa’s school days. Mirnalini Ravi plays the female lead and the film will touch upon the life of an aspiring football player.” As we turn around, the director introduces us to his assistants. “They will be assisting me in my next film, and they are here to see how things move on the sets,” he tells us. “He moves from one scene to another quickly. Moreover, with his style of narration, he makes it easier for us to visualise the scene. His positive energy is something I look up to,” says Varshini, one of the assistants Susienthiran calls for a lunch break as Vishwa practises some freekicks before heading for lunch. He plays the final cut of Champion’s teaser and says, “The film is based in north Chennai but doesn’t stereotype them and portray them in a negative light. There is a dialogue in the film which says that north Chennai isn’t the same anymore. Youngsters from this part of the city are now employed overseas and have been exemplary for people living in other parts of Chennai.”

The cinematographer, Sujith agrees with him and says, “The story has a lot of emotions in it. Susie sir is an aesthetic storyteller and I ensured that my visuals do not overshadow the message in the movie. Working with him has been a great learning experience. I am a huge fan of his films and Champion will be one among the best films he has made.” The heroine of the film Mirnalini agrees with the cinematographer and says that she has found another mentor in Susienthiran. “I joined Champion after Super Deluxe and both were contrasting experiences. Thiagarajan Kumararaja is a perfectionist when it comes to dialogue deliveries. Susienthiran sir is a happy-go-lucky director. I play Vishwa’s love interest in his college days. All Susie sir wanted from me was to remain natural during the take. I saw the rushes and his input has come in handy for my role,” she tells us. As the shoot is about to resume, Susienthiran says, “The re-recording of the film is taking place simultaneously and we are planning for the film’s release in October.”