Roja, Ramya Ranganathan in Pari Elavazhagan’s family entertainer

Roja , who is making her reentry to films after 11 years with the yet-to-be-released Lenin Pandiyan , has already started working on her next project. The actress, whose last release was En Vazhi Thani Vazhi (2015), will play Jama fame Pari Elavazhagan ’s mom in an untitled family entertainer.

Pari is writing, directing and playing the lead in the film, which also stars Chethan and Nilavukku Enmel Ennadi Kobam (NEEK) actress Ramya Ranganathan as his father and lover, respectively.

“The main reason we approached Roja ma’am is because there is power in her acting and presence. It’s a tailormade character for her. She is sweet and easy to work with,” Pari shares. On roping in Ramya, he says, “I saw NEEK and found her to be expressive. We also did an audition with her to check if she can adapt to this role.”

Actor Kalaiyarasan’s daughter, Adithi, also appears in the film. “As I already know Kalaiyarasan and his daughter, I felt that she would be apt for this role.” The project has already gone on floors and is completely shot in Chennai.

While his first film was a drama on folk artistes, Pari calls his next a “jolly romcom/family entertainer”. “It’s got a modern vibe. There has always been a space in Tamil cinema for family entertainers, and I wanted to explore that,” he says, adding, “People would expect another film like Jama from me. But I didn’t want to be stuck in a zone. So, I took my time to write this script.”