The
Swathi murder
, which shook the city last year, has now been turned into a full-fledged feature film, titled
Swathi Kolai Vazhakku
. Directed by
Ramesh Selvan
of
Vajram
fame, the film has been shot in real locations where the gruesome murder took place.
Talking about the film, Ramesh says, “All my films have dealt with social issues and have created awareness. This one, too, will spark some awareness among the audience. We have retained the subject to what exactly happened and have reported on the case. There will be neither songs nor any sequence that deviates from the incident.”
The director also points out certain things that could have been done to ensure the safety of women in Chennai. “It is only recently that they installed CCTV cameras at Nungambakkam Railway Station, where the crime was committed. We have highlighted a few things that could be done to avoid such gruesome incidents in future,” he adds.
So, did he seek the permission from Swathi or Ramkumar’s family? “No. We went by the news reports and shot the film in the locations where the crime was committed, like the railway station, the mansion in which Ramkumar had stayed, and so on. Once the film is ready, we will screen it for both Swathi and Ramkumar’s parents, probably by the end of June, and only then release it,” says Ramesh.
After several auditions, Ayra and Mano from Koothu-p-pattarai were chosen to play Swathi and Ramkumar, respectively. RB Ravi has written the story and penned the dialogues. Actor Ajmal essays the role of the Nungambakkam inspector investigating the murder, while director-actor A Venkatesh plays the role of Ramraj, Ramkumar’s lawyer. The background score is done by Sam D Raj.