‘Relationship thrillers not explored much in Tamil cinema,' says Oh Butterfly team

The team of Oh Butterfly– Ciby Chandran, director Vijay Ranganathan, Nivedhithaa Sathish and Attul R – were at the DT Next office to talk about the film that has already been a talking point among the movie buffs. They open up on carrying their roles and the effect it had on them

Poster of the film

Updated on:

05 Mar 2026, 2:00 am

CHENNAI: One look at the team of Oh Butterfly as and when they enter our office to promote their film, we could see the happiness and the confidence they exude as their project is all set to hit the screens this Friday. The teaser of the film keeps the audience guessing, and the team says that it is overwhelmed with the kind of response they have received so far. But they say that there is much that has gone into this carefully crafted film that will provide the audience the much-needed thriller that they are looking for. Here are some excerpts from the interview.

‘EXPLORED A DIFFERENT ASPECT OF RELATIONSHIP FILMS’

Relationship thriller isn’t a common genre that we come across every Friday, and we have built a narrative around it. The film has characters whose lives will be quite the opposite of how they want them to be. Also, it has been over a decade since Tamil cinema has seen intimate dramas with relationships as their crux. Usually relationship films are about romance or family entertainers. We have explored a different aspect. I believe that Oh Butterfly will bridge that gap. How unrelated things affect each of their lives and how these characters manage to deal with it is what the film is all about. To sum it up, things keep taking place in the butterfly effect. So, Oh Butterfly was the apt title we could go for.

Vijay Ranganathan, director

Vijay Ranganathan

'NO POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE CHARACTER IN THE FILM’

When I read the script, I realised that the story doesn’t fall under the usual pattern and it intrigued me. There are a lot of interesting elements in the story that will keep the audience lured. And to do such a story in mainstream cinema is a huge challenge. I am a fan of Woody Allen and Quentin Tarantino’s movies, where there will be conversation among two or three people with so much depth in writing. Oh Butterfly would belong to that category. Moreover, there is no positive or negative character in the movie. It is all situational, and each character would have something to justify their actions in the narrative. And none of these would look forced. Things will look organic. It was very challenging to pull off. I always wanted to do such a movie and I am glad I am a part of Oh Butterfly.

Ciby Chandran, actor

Ciby Chandran

‘OH BUTTERFLY AN IMPORTANT EXPERIENCE FOR ME’

I have never seen a story as is. They have rather had a deeper meaning in my life. Also, Oh Butterfly came to me at a time when I was going through multiple things in life. But all of that has added value in this film. Unlike my other projects, I cannot see this movie just as a film. It was a very important experience for me, and there were a lot of takeaways. Our characters were treading a thin line. Even if we venture a little out of it, things could have gone for a toss. This was an emotionally difficult character to portray in front of the camera, and it is nowhere near to my off-screen persona. I believe I have pulled it off.

Nivedhitaa Sathish, actor

Nivedhitaa Sathish

‘MY ROLE IS DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE FROM MY OFF-SCREEN PERSONA’

To go about my character, my reference points were from people around me, on how they react during emotional and intense situations. Director Vijay gave me the complete creative freedom to improvise within the role. He gave me a perfect playground to hit it out. But whenever we deviated, he always brought us back on track. He knew he did not want for the film, which was very important. I am not a superstitious person. But my character in Oh Butterfly is diametrically opposite. However, I had fun playing the role.

Attul R, actor

Attul R

Oh Butterfly