Paari and Ramya spin a cross- cultural romance in 'Anbe Diana'

Jama fame Paari Elavazhagan and Nilavukku Enmel Ennadi Kobam actress Ramya Ranganathan will play a Telugu boy and an Anglo-Indian girl, respectively, in Anbe Diana. Paari, who has also written and directed the film, tells us that the film will be a romcom and family entertainer with a simple line, but they’ve tried a “different treatment and characterisations”.

Shot and set entirely in Perambur, Paari says the locality played a key role in the narrative and elaborates, “There are a lot of migrants in Perambur. I wanted to explore how they’ve been living here for a long time and are part of this culture.”

Actress Roja plays the hero’s mother. Paari admits he was initially nervous about working with the senior actress. “But she was sincere, friendly and extremely dedicated,” he says, adding, “Her image suited this role. I needed a bold, powerful lady who is also a Telugu.”

On casting Ramya, he states, “Her looks and acting suited this part. She didn’t come with an image, and people can easily imagine her as the character she plays.”

Paari states that the film attempts to authentically portray both Anglo Indian and Telugu households. “I’ve not just made a character AngloIndian or Telugu but also tried to establish their culture and lifestyle properly. I met and interacted with many Anglo-Indians and Telugu people to represent them well.”

He adds, “It was tough to crack that balance of having the characters speak Telugu and still ensure the common audience understands what they are saying. I think we have achieved it.”

Paari’s only other acting role after Jama was Bottle Radha , which he had shot for even before Jama ’s release. “I did get opportunities after Jama , but I wanted to create a market for myself box office-wise and then start working on other projects. When you are writing and directing, it takes a lot of your mental and physical space, so you can’t commit to a lot of films,” he says.

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