Trailer launch of the film 'Neeliraa', jointly presented by Stone Bench Studio Karthikeyan Santhanam and Spirit Media Rana Daggubati

The trailer launch of 'Neeliraa', a film directed by documentary filmmaker Somidharan and produced by leading figures of Indian cinema, Karthik Subbaraj and Rana Daggubati, starring Naveen Chandra and Kapila Venu, was held in Chennai. The film will be released in theaters worldwide from April 3rd.

Stone Bench Studio Karthikeyan Santhanam's 'Neelira' stars Naveen Chandra, Vidhu, Rupa Koduvayur, Kapila Venu, 'Kayal' Vincent, Sidhu Kumaresan, Swathi Krishna and many others. Selvaratnam Pradeepan has handled the cinematography and K has composed the music for this film. The song and teaser of the film, which is set against the backdrop of the civil war in Sri Lanka, were released and received a great response, and the preview launch of the film was held on a grand scale at a star hotel in Chennai. The event was attended by the film crew and leading creatives who have made a mark in the Tamil film industry, including Director Lokesh Ajiles, Producer Karthikeyan Santhanam, Director Ram Kumar Balakrishnan, Director Vinoth Raj, Director Sasi, Actress Kapila Venu, Director Rathna Kumar, Director Pon Ram, Director Raju Murugan, Trotsky Marudhu, Actresses Sidhu Kumaresan, Rupa Koduvayur, Writer Bava Chellathurai, Director Vasanthabalan, Actor Sanand, Director Lingusamy, Director A R Murugadoss, Actor Naveen Chandra, Director Somitharan, Director RK Selvamani, Director Lokesh Kanagaraj, Actor Rana Dakkupatty, Director Vetrimaaran and Producer and Director Karthik Subbaraj. Mrs. Akila Balumahendra released the preview of the film 'Neelira' at the event.

Following this, Mrs. Akila Balumahendra congratulated the film crew and said, "My husband's birthplace is Jaffna in Sri Lanka. I was born in Mattakkal. I am very proud and happy that Somitharan has made a film about our town. Somitharan has fulfilled my husband's wish. If my husband were here, he would have been very happy. I wish Somitharan's film 'Neelira' a success," she said.

Director Lokesh Ajiles said, "I watched the film Neelira. I liked it very much as soon as I heard it was a war film, so I watched it with the hope that it would be a work of art. But this film was a film for mainstream cinema. All the elements were there. It kept us in suspense from the beginning to the end.

Usually, when we watch a film, we have different thoughts related to it. While watching this film, I was just anticipating what would happen next. In particular, I was thinking about how the characters in that house would get through a night.

"After the film was finished, I met the director and praised him for mentioning a scene. The cinematography of the film was very close to reality, it was beautiful, and even some of the darkness was light," he said.

Producer Karthikeyan Santhanam said, "Thank you to all the legends of the film industry who are here as special guests. There are those I have seen since I was a child, there are those I have seen when I grew up, and there are those I have seen after I grew up. It is a joy to see everyone here together."

I have been speaking on stage since I was eight years old, but I am a little nervous on this stage. We are proud that our company has produced this film. I would like to thank Spirit Media for being involved in this.

After I returned from England, we started Stone Bench in 2012. Karthik Subbaraj, Pawan, and Kalyan all started together. We produced the first film 'Meyadha Maan'. 'Neelira' is our 18th film.

I knew director Somitharan before the production of 'Meyaatha Maan'. If I had to say it today, Somit is not only a friend to us but also a great friend. He has made this film to that extent. Even though he has made many films, only a few films are close to our hearts. In that sense, 'Neelira' is a film close to our hearts. Everyone who has seen this film so far has praised him for making a good film. I am confident that the media and the fans will like this film.

When we decided to release this film and planned to whom we could screen it, we first contacted actor Rana and screened it for him. After watching it, he said that my contribution was confirmed. After that, we screened it for AGS. They also immediately came forward to screen it all over Tamil Nadu with joy. Ahimsa Entertainment is releasing this film worldwide. We are releasing this film in a good way as much as we can. We hope that this film will create a good buzz. We have composed a song for this film and Sony Music is releasing that song.

"We did not expect this film to receive such a huge amount of support. If this has been possible, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone who worked behind the scenes," he said.

Director Ram Kumar Balakrishnan said, "We watched the film a week ago. We started watching it without any understanding of it. While watching it, there was a griping feeling of what would happen next. It felt like watching a thriller. What I liked most about this film were the actors who played it. The faces chosen for each character were very appropriate for this story. When the actors understand their characters and act, they take us into those characters without even knowing it. Congratulations to director Somitharan. Thanks also to the producer who is making and releasing the film," he said.

Director Vinod Raj said, "When we got the call to watch this film, we were prepared to watch it, thinking about how heavy it was going to be and how we were going to bear that weight. But we had the feeling of watching a thriller. The film was so engaging and gripping that we could tell that it was going to be a story set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan war.

Director Somitharan shared many things with us about the selection of actors for this film. That was interesting, congratulations to him.

If I had to say the highlight of this film is its presentation, its film language. The photography, location, artistry, editing of this film were all excellent. Especially that house. Those who leave after watching the film will remember that house.

Karthik Subbaraj has consistently featured Sri Lankan Tamils ​​and their feelings in his films. The fact that he has also been associated with the producer of this film reflects his love for the Sri Lankan Tamil people. Karthik Subbaraj and Karthikeyan Santhanam can truly be proud of producing this film,” he said.

Director Sasi said, "There is a WhatsApp group for directors. In that group, Karthik Subbaraj said that we are going to screen a film called 'Neelira'. He requested everyone to come. After reading this message, I received a call from Director Lingusamy. I had seen this film at a film festival a year ago. It is a good film. He said don't miss it. For example, if Lingusamy sees the film 'Baahubali', he will say 'go and see it immediately'. If he sees the film 'Kottukkaali', he will say 'go and see it immediately'. He likes all kinds of films. But the film has to entertain him. So I knew that 'Neelira' was definitely an entertainment film. Although the title confused me a little, I went to see the film because Lingusamy told me to.

First of all, I would like to express my congratulations and thanks to the two technical artists, art direction and cinematography, who brought the Eelam problem and the lives of the Eelam people to life. I thank them for creating the feeling of being inside a house in Eelam during the war. The actors who played the role have also made a great contribution.

This film is produced by Karthik Subbaraj, Karthikeyan Santhanam, and Rana Dakkupatti. If director Somidharan had asked, famous stars could have acted in this film. But he has made this film relying only on the screenplay. While watching this film, I was amazed by the director's personality.

"This seems to be the climax in this film. After going to that place, the director says something else from there. Producers, be brave. You have delivered a successful film, congratulations," he said.

Actress Kapila Venu said, "I am not a film actress. I am a stage artist and Bharatanatyam artiste based on the traditional art form. Director Somidharan chose me for this role because I was in the image of his mother. I sincerely thank him for this. I am very happy that I had a role in this film."

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my fellow artists, including actor Naveen Chandra, who have acted with me.

Director Somitharan is a good storyteller. Before going to shoot, he held a workshop for ten days and told everyone the story. I even know very well which rooms in the house featured in this film will have which items. Working on this film was an unforgettable experience,'' he said.

Director Ratna Kumar said, "I am proud to announce on this stage that I am the director of Stone Bench's first film, 'Meyadha Maan'. Both Sanand, the hero of my first film, and Vidhu, who is currently acting in the film I am directing, have acted in this film. This also gives me happiness."

When I was directing a film, director Somitharan worked with me on the background voice for the Sri Lankan characters. He would always say that the accent should be like this. That's when I realized what kind of creator he was and how powerful his work would be.

I know a lot of slang in Tamil. But my favorite slang is Sri Lankan Tamil. I really like the way they speak Tamil. I really liked that speech throughout the film.

'Neelira' is a one and a half hour film. That can be called the highlight. A film called 'Sinners' won the Oscars. There were so many layers in that film, there was politics, there was a lot of ideology. Like that film, this film too has many places where silences are used to speak.

This film will change the way we view the Sri Lankan issue. We think that war is far away from us. When a country somewhere bombs another country, we can't find eggs at the shop down the street because there are no gas cylinders. So it will definitely affect us.
"I hope that through this film, people will now understand a lot about the hardships and sufferings faced by our brothers in our neighboring country. We all suffered for a while when we were in lockdown. But the Tamils ​​of Eelam have been suffering there for decades," he said.

Speaking, Director Ponram said, "Many films have been released before about the Sri Lankan problem and the Sri Lankan people. When I saw this film, I started watching it without knowing what it would be like. I have known Director Somitharan for three years.

"I didn't understand what Neelira meant at first. When I asked him later, Somitharan explained it as 'Neinda Raattu'. The situation has come to have English subtitles for Tamil, and I was wondering how this would entertain us. I usually make comedy commercial films. But when I started watching the film, it started gaining momentum after a stage. It's a real thriller. The director has balanced everything equally. That's the highlight of the film. The highlight of the film is that it tells the life of a simple person in a thriller, beyond everything," he said.

Director Raju Murugan said, "We are now in a critical war environment. The way war is going on is that we see missiles, weapons, explosions... This is one side. On the other side, there is a silent ideological war going on. That is what I see as the most important thing. First the ideological war. Then the armed war."

There was such a large-scale war in Eelam. Many people like me regret that not a single film has been released about it. 'Neelira' will be the first film to break that.

"My thanks to director Somitharan are that you have created a genre called Eelam cinema in the context of war all over the world. Many creators have already made small pieces of it. But I see Neelira as an Eelam cinema that has been beautifully made in modern cinema. Thank you Somitharan for this," he said.

Writer Bava Chellathurai said, "The director of this film, Somitharan, and I have been friends for almost 20 years.

The writer Prabanjan would have written a line like "Even after all this, a flower blooms on its own." We can compare this line to Eelam. Even after all this, a flower blooms in Eelam. Everyone enjoys that flower.

I have personally experienced many of the locations featured in this film. In fact, it was Balu Mahendra who first discovered a great artist named Somitharan.

"I and Balumahendra together arranged Somitharan's wedding in a village near Kanchipuram. I am one of the millions of fans who are eagerly waiting for Somitharan's success," he said.

Director Vasanthapalan said, "I really like Karthik Subbaraj's 'Iraivi' and 'Jigardhanda Double X'. He keeps talking about politics. I see Neelira as a film that says, 'Love is the virtue, rise up'."

It is an artistic feat that Somitharan has depicted a war film without knives, without the sound of guns, without blood, and without even a single death.

"Why I love this film is that Somitharan has beautifully said that he can present an art form without anything. The voice of hatred is being heard all over the world. Hate is being expressed everywhere. He has beautifully presented a film against that. This film is a film that takes place between two armies in a house on one night," he said.

Director Lingusamy said, "Director RK Selvamani and I watched the film at the International Film Festival held in Goa. After that, Karthik + Karthikeyan Santhanam were talking about how to take this film to the masses. They are currently doing a great job. It is extra special that Rana is associated with them."

I only look at how far a film can keep its appeal. In that way, this film will be appealing. There will be a vitality throughout the film.

"Somitharan has created the film so beautifully because he has experienced and seen that life. Part 2 can be made even after this film is finished. It's such a long journey," he said.

Director A. R. Murugadoss said, "Thank you Rana for supporting such a film. Producers like you are essential for the Tamil film industry right now."

Somitharan, who was sitting next to me, was nervous, wondering if any of the directors who spoke here would reveal that important incident in the story.

This film tells us how much our brothers in our neighboring country suffered. Especially, how it affects those in a house during a war. Somitharan has beautifully told us how war veterans, fighters, and civilians are affected.

Normally, a wedding is an unforgettable event for all of us, but they have realistically depicted how difficult the same wedding must have been for those who lived there in the 80s and 90s.

All the actors in this film can be said to have lived their characters rather than acting. The clothes they wear and the photographs hanging on the walls of that house tell the story. It was as if all 24 crews in the film had joined forces to tell the story.

Lingusamy and I are big fans of Mani Ratnam's dialogues. Because when a character says something, you can never predict how the opposite character will respond. There were such dialogues throughout the film.

"Don't wait to watch this film on OTT. Definitely visit the theater and watch it. Especially take your children and show them. They will learn about the war and war environment that took place in Sri Lanka in the past. It will be an entertaining film as well. It will also be a thriller film," he said.

Actor Naveen Chandra said, "Thank you to everyone who came here to understand and support our director's intention to tell such a story."

Director Sarukesh, who directed the film Ammu, was the first to introduce me to Stone Bench. From that day till today, I have been associated with this company. It was after watching that film that director Somidharan gave me the role of a captain in the film. For this, I am grateful to Stone Bench.

"The experience of working on Neeliraa was wonderful. This film will provide a wonderful theatrical experience. The sound system will be excellent," he said.

Director Somitharan said, "My friend and writer Sayanthan are school friends. We would always hang out together and we would talk about ourselves, wondering when the world would talk about us. We used to talk about the pain of the Eelam Tamils ​​and the story of the Eelam Tamils, wondering when the world would talk about them."

At this pre-release event, many film industry celebrities who came here talked about us. I am speechless after hearing this. This happened because of producer Karthik Subbaraj.

"Rather than going outside Tamil cinema and directing a film and telling it separately, our contribution to Tamil cinema is to tell an Eelam story within Tamil cinema from within Tamil cinema and our stories should be told in Tamil cinema," said Balu Mahendra. "Thank you to producer Karthikeyan Santhanam for making that possible," he said.

Director RK Selvamani said, "Director Lingusamy and I went to the International Film Festival held in Goa at the invitation of Karthik Subbaraj and watched the film Neeliraa that was screened there. Before watching the film, I had no opinion about the film. After watching the film, I asked Karthik who the director of this film was and I wanted to meet him. That's when he introduced me to director Somitharan.

At that time, I requested Karthik that this is a very important film for Tamil cinema. Instead of releasing this film immediately, please release the film in a way that will reach the people and make everyone aware of it in a proper manner.

This film is being released at a good time, having understood this correctly and waited. Congratulations. Currently, small-budget films are continuously succeeding. I would refer to this period as the golden age of small films in Tamil cinema. In the last two to three months, seven small-budget films have been successful. In that sense, this film also has the potential to be a huge success.

This film starts out as ordinary, but instead of showing a war environment or the war itself, they create fear in the audience through the characters.

Each character has realistically depicted the pain experienced by the Eelam Tamils. After watching this film, I went to Jaffna. I had planned to return in a day. But I stayed there for seven days.
Go see this film in the theater. Only then will this film make you feel like you are in that war environment.

"This is also a film that shows that Tamil cinema is on par with the standards of world cinema, so everyone should definitely go to the theater and watch it," he said.

Director Lokesh Kanagaraj said, "When I was invited to watch this film, I couldn't watch it. But I asked my friend Ratna about this film and she said that I cried at many places. Like everyone else, I am waiting until April 3rd to watch it with the fans."

"All of Karthik Subbaraj's films feature themes related to Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan Tamils. I think he made this film to keep telling them. I wish this film success," he said.

Actor Rana Daggubati said, "This film is Somitharan's own life. This is a great film for the next generation."

The directors who spoke here said that there are many films released about the wars that took place in countries like Germany and Vietnam, but no films about this have been released in India. This is why we decided five years ago that our company Spirit Media should produce works that are based on our land and reflect our culture. We are currently producing cultural stories in Malayalam, Marathi and Tamil and Telugu. I am proud to have worked with Karthik Subbaraj's Stone Bench Studio for this film.

"Somidharan is very talented. He has told a story of a house going crazy without a war, without a single bullet. I have seen this film three times. I think we are releasing this film at the right time in the current global war environment," he said.

Director Vetrimaaran said, "This film is about a friend from Eelam. He has made a film about his pain, his memories, together with another young man from Eelam. Thank you to Karthik Subbaraj and his team for this."

We have grown up seeing the pain of our brothers as our own. However, congratulations to Somitharan for making this possible through cinema. Somitharan's achievement as a writer is so high. Unexpected.

This film does not speak of hatred. This film does not support violence. This is not a propaganda film. It is not a grand film made by spending crores of rupees to promote an ideology. This is a film that does not want to monetize hatred and violence.

"This film tells the events naturally without directly criticizing anyone. We can only respond to such films against hatred," he said.

Director Karthik Subbaraj said, "This is an unforgettable moment. I am grateful to the directors who were amazed by me for coming here and congratulating the film."

When I started working on this film, I saw it as my biggest responsibility. We have made 18 films so far. We expect some of them to be successful. But they won't be. But this film is not like that. If we make this film wrong, the dreams of many directors and creators like Somitharan will be shattered.

Cinema is the best art form for telling stories about war situations like this, so there was a constant anxiety about getting it right.

I have had sympathy for the Eelam Tamils ​​since I was a child. After this film, if people like Somitharan come up with stories like this, big producers will come forward to produce them. Whether they give full courage for this or not, I hope this film will be a starting point for that.

"Somitharan worked with a sense of responsibility every day of shooting to ensure that the work turned out great. Director Somitharan has brought that emotion into the film with great precision, an emotion that we cannot feel," he said.

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