Appa was in tears on first day of shoot: Manoj Bharathiraja

CHENNAI: Manoj Bharathiraja walked into our office confidently when he was promoting Suseenthiran's directorial Champion as an actor. This time it's quite different as Manoj's long-lived dream of becoming a director has come true with Margazhi Thingal and Suseenthiran producing it. "If at all I owe everything to someone, it is Suseenthiran. I have been wanting to become the director for quite some time now. We both discussed cinema a lot and one fine day he handed over a script to me and asked me to direct it. It didn't end there; he also went on to produce the film. This is how Margazhi Thingal shaped up," says Manoj.

He also introduces the cast of the movie— Shyam Selvan, Rakshana, and Naksha Saran and adds, "Though they are relatively new to feature films, they cooperated well to finish the project on time. We completed the project in about less than a month," the actor-filmmaker opens up. Rakshana, who plays Kavitha in Margazhi Thingal says, "I was raised in Qatar and come from a theatre background. Manoj made us feel at home on the sets of this movie. He planned it well for us. Also, my portions are with Bharathiraja sir. What else could I ask for? I had several questions running in my mind. But it was him, who broke the ice and is such a sport. Even by observing him from a distance, there is a lot one could learn."

Shyam quietly observes us and Manoj says that is how he was even on the sets as well. "Suseenthiran is my uncle and when they were looking for a guy with rustic looks, Manoj and my uncle believed that I could pull it off. However, I took a few days of workshops to get into the skin of the character. I believe I have done justice to what was expected of me. It has boosted my confidence levels," he says. Naksha laughs as she sees Manoj before she starts the conversation. "Among us, I am sure Manoj would say that I was the most well-behaved on the sets," and laughs as Manoj looks away from us. "We had friendly banters on the sets. I was hand picked by Manoj after he saw me in my music video and cast me in the role of Hema in the film. There are a few twists and turns to my character and I am not supposed to reveal them now," she says.

Manoj was directed by his dad in his acting debut, Taj Mahal in 1999. 24 years later, he has reciprocated it by directing his dad in his maiden directorial venture. "He was giving me looks when I asked him for a retake. Meanwhile, he was proud of me. During the first day of shoot, I sent him back after shooting his portion in the morning and had asked him to come back in the evening for the remaining portions. While getting down from the car, he was in tears and appreciated me for what I did. That is the most emotional moment for me as a son and as a director. Being Bharathiraja's son is a responsibility and I am here to make him proud and do justice to my surname," he says as the team leaves to pose for our photographer.