Grand Preview launch of Ajay Karthi's 'Dark' !

The preview launch of the film 'Dark' starring Ajay Karthi and directed by debutant director Kalyan K. Jagan, produced by MG Studios A.P.V. Maran, Ganesh K. Babu and Five Star Creations K. Senthil, was held in Chennai.

The film, written by 'Tata' fame director Ganesh K Babu, stars Ajay Karthi, Anjana Netran, Natty Natraj, K. Bhagyaraj, Sibi Chakravarthy, VTV Ganesh, Aravind, Sakul, Naren and many others. Ravi Shakthi has handled the cinematography and Manu Ramesan has composed the music for the film. The film, which is being made as a horror thriller, is jointly produced by producers A. P. V. Maran, Ganesh K. Babu and K. Senthil.

The preview launch of the film, which is scheduled to be released soon after all the work has been completed, was held in Chennai. Along with the film crew, directors P. Ranjith, Karthik Yogi, Vignesh Karthik, Maran Karthikeyan, actors Gautham Karthik, Rio, Kalaiyarasan, T. Siva, Five Star Kathiresan, Kamalakannan, Five Star Kalyanam were present as special guests at the event.

Speaking at the event, producer Manimaran said, "Dark is a psychological horror thriller film. After watching thriller films released in Malayalam and foreign languages, we think that such films should be released in Tamil. This 'Dark' film will be one such film.

This year, ten to fifteen heroes are being created in Tamil cinema. Among them, the hero of the film, Ajay, will have an important place.

Yuvan Shankar Raja and G.V. Prakash Kumar have sung a song in this film. S. Thaman has composed the music for that song. We have created this song for the film's promo. Thanks to all the actors, actresses and technicians who worked on this film.

"After the success of 'Tata', one day while I was traveling with the director of the film, Ganesh, he asked me what my ambition was, and I said I wanted to become a producer in cinema. 'Dark' is the story he immediately wrote. Director Ganesh is the one who elevated me to become a producer through this film. I am also grateful to him," he said.

Producer D. Siva said, "The trailer of this film was not typical but a bit new. Nowadays, fans are looking for something new. Because all the films that tell new stories are successful. In that sense, I am confident that something new will be told in the film 'Dark' as well."

"This film should be a profitable film. It should be a trend-setting film and bring spring to everyone's lives. I wish this film to be a success for the hero of the film, Ajay Karthik," he said.

Actor Rio said, "The trailer of Dark was good. Generally, it is said that psychological thriller films have fans. But my opinion is different. There is a family audience for such psychological thriller films. A family likes to watch a film with fear and anxiety. The trailer had moments for that. The recent film 'Obsession', which was made with a budget of ten crores, has collected more than 1300 crores and is running successfully. We also have a longing to see such films in Tamil. My congratulations to the team of 'Dark' who have made a film in that vein.

"The director of the film, Ganesh K Babu, saw huge success through the film 'Tata'. He has turned producer in this film. That too is a testament to his talent. I wish him great success as a producer as well," he said.

Actor Natty Natraj said, "Ganesh Babu, the director of the film Tata, came to me and told me the story. I was expecting it to be a story about family sentiments. But he told me the story of the film 'Dark'. When I heard it, I asked who the hero of the film was. He said Ajay Karthi is playing the role. Will he accept this character and act..? Newcomer..! I asked. But I saw the film when it was being dubbed. Ajay Karthi has acted wonderfully.

Even though Five Star Senthil releases commercial films, he also releases films with content. Thanks to him for this.

"When I saw the film on screen, I realized the hard work of the team. I hope this film will be a big success," he said.

Director Pa. Ranjith said, "This is Ajay Karthik's second film. The trailer was interesting. His look and presence on screen are strong. Congratulations to him."

I hope everyone will like this film as it is a thriller. The song sung by Yuvan Shankar Raja was good.

My friend Ganesh K Babu has gone from being a director to a producer. He is currently producing a lot of films. Introducing his assistants as directors is a very important thing. So my best wishes to him too.

It is a good thing to identify the talents of those who are with us, give them opportunities and bring them to the public. But there is a lot of risk in this. This is not a normal thing. Making a film is not easy. Every producer has the anxiety of whether the money will be returned after investing in the story... or not... as a producer. I also know that.

I think it is important for people like Five Star Senthil to make films and be successful. I think it is especially important to make films on a small budget and be successful. Just as there has been a change in politics in the Tamil Nadu environment, similarly, small films are being released in the Tamil film world and are attracting people to the theaters. Films like 'Blast' and 'Sirai' have been released in theaters and have done well. The big budget film 'Karuppu' has also been successful. Even the recently released film 'Habibi' was attended by a large number of people and many shows were house full.

"I see the theater as a democratic place. If we believe in the people and make good films, we will definitely get success with good profits. In that sense, I hope that the dark film will also definitely be a big success," he said.

Producer Five Star Senthil said, "I have seen this movie. It is very good. I request you to watch this movie in theaters, enjoy it and support it."

Actress Anjana Netran said, "I am making my debut with the film Dark. I have acted with big stars like K Bhagyaraj, Natty Natraj, VTV Ganesh in my first film. I consider this a blessing for me. Hero Ajay Karthik is a hard worker. Very sweet. Innocent. He is much more innocent than me. The experience of working with him was unforgettable.

"I thank the producer and director for believing in me and giving me a chance. Producer Ganesh Babu has also given me an opportunity for my next film. The fans will love this film. Everyone should go to the theater and watch it," he said.

Actor Gautham Ram Karthik said, "The crew of this film are very close to me. I am working with them in my next film. So I have a close connection with this festival."

The trailer of the movie Dark was good. The visuals were especially impressive. The writing is good. So this movie will definitely be a big hit. I congratulate the team for this.

Ajay Karthi has acted well in this film on another level. The Tamil film world has got a good actor. The new chocolate boy of Tamil cinema. His smile.. is attractive.

It has been my long-time dream to work with Natty Natraj. I hope it will happen soon.

"Both the producers of the film, Ganesh K Babu and Manimaran, are very close to my heart," he said.

Actor Ajay Karthi said, "This is a very special stage for me. Dark is more than just a film, it is also a lesson for me. I learned a lot about cinema through the shooting of this film. I would like to thank A.P.V. Maran and Ganesh K. Babu, who were the reason for starting the work on this film.

After the success of 'Tata', director Ganesh K Babu could have directed the film with another famous actor. But thank you for coming forward to make such an experimental film with new faces. Through this film, he has not only made his debut as a producer but also as a lyricist. Our congratulations for that too.

He and I have been traveling together for a few years. There have been many interesting incidents and funny events.

Another producer of the film is Five Star K Senthil. My father. No matter how many times I thank him on many platforms, it is not enough. When I told him in the beginning that it was a ghost film, he backed down. He thought, should I introduce my son in such a serious ghost film..! After that, he has understood the intention of our team and has been helping in every way.

I have been traveling with director Kalyan K. Jagan for three years. I really like his timely wit. No matter what restrictions there are on the shooting sites, he is able to adjust everything with his skill and provide a good experience to the film crew. He does not get tense about anything.

Natraj has taught me how to improve my every move on set by paying close attention to my every move. His approach has inspired me.

Dark is an experimental psychological horror thriller film. We want to provide a new kind of experience to the fans who visit the theater. What's next? We have made this film thinking that we should give a film with entertainment aspects that are different from what we guess. Everyone should go to the theater and watch this film. After watching, post your reviews on social media. I hope you all like the film,'' he said.

Director Kalyan K. Jagan said, "This is my first stage too. I thank our master director Ganesh K. Babu for giving me the opportunity to stand on this stage. When he acted in a short film, he told me to see it on the monitor first. After that, I was very happy that he gave me the opportunity to direct my first film under his production."

Producer Manimaran - A very interesting person. He is good at commercializing the film. He also played a role in getting the stars to act in this film. It is a pleasure to have the collaboration of these two in the first film. This was also the reason for the making of this film.

In this film, Ajay and Karthi are the heroes. He is also a newcomer. I am also a newcomer. We both keep looking at each other. Then comes the heroine Anjana. They are also newcomers. We all look at each other and have done whatever we can on screen.

When Natty Natraj spoke, he said that the shooting site would be quiet. When he arrived, we would make the shooting site quiet. He participated in the long shooting with us.

The entire story of this film will be centered around Ajay. He understood what we told him on the set and acted accordingly.

"All the other actors, actresses and technicians who worked in this film gave their full cooperation. I would like to express my gratitude at this moment," he said.

Producer Ganesh K. Babu said, "I couldn't speak much at the audio launch of Tata. I was under a lot of stress. At that moment, I couldn't even taste the success of Tata. At the same time, I am not a person who talks a lot on stage. But I wanted to speak a lot on this stage."

At the age of 13, I decided to become a film director. I thought I would do whatever it took. They told me to study for that... I studied. They told me to work as an assistant director... I worked as an assistant director. They told me to go to many places and meet many people... I met them. After that, they told me to make a short film... I directed a short film. They told me to make a music video... I did that too. I did everything but I couldn't become a director. I just knew that there was a small mistake going on somewhere. Everyone gets paralyzed during the Covid period. I thought that we won't get cinema after Covid is over.. Have we been deceiving ourselves for ten years..! So I left this and went to another job. At that moment, a phone call came. I was telling the story of the Tata film. As soon as I finished telling that story, the work of making it into a film in one day started.

The producer also says that the film must be completed within a certain budget. Not only as a producer but also as a director, I had to do that work. I looked at where the producer could cut costs in the budget and did it.

Kalyan is my friend. He and I have been friends since school. He used to travel with me. I don't know when he became my assistant. He was doing a good job and earning well. I ruined his job.

I asked him if I needed an office to work in. He immediately set aside a corner of his office. Over time, it became my office. In a short time, he also started working with me. When I asked about this, he said, "You become the director first. You can take care of the rest later."

I told Kalyan's wife, 'He will definitely become a great man one day.' Today it happened.

While the rough cut of Tata's film was going on, Senthil sir came. At that moment, I didn't even know who he was. The producer brought him. I have studied about cinema but I don't know how to be in a cinema. The day after Senthil sir came and watched the film and left... my life changed. I don't know what magic it was. The day after he came and left, everyone started treating me differently. Senthil sir was the first person to approve of Tata's film. It is because of this courage that Senthil sir has that I continue to produce films. I am also grateful to him.

All the people who worked on this film are my friends. Today I am in a good place in the film industry. It is not a big deal for me to make a film called Dark for them today. They worked for me at Tata without expecting any reward. That is why Dark is a thank you for the film 'Tata'.

I wrote the story of this film keeping Dhanush sir in mind. But Ajay is coming forward to act in it. I ask Kalyan if Ajay is okay.

To be honest, I was always suspicious of Ajay. After the shooting was over, I would keep watching the scenes of that day. One day, they said it was the shooting of the climax scene of the film. I wanted to see them shooting the climax. They were shooting that scene. Then I went into the set. It was very quiet. Everyone was working. Ajay was acting. The director had got the shot he wanted. Kalyan had also said okay. But Ajay came running screaming and asked if we could do one more take. I didn't understand. Ajay was running out of time. The director had got what he wanted. I said enough. Finally, he went to convince the director and let him do the same scene again. I then went and sat alone, angry. After reshooting that scene, the director said 'cut' and it felt like he had slapped me in the face with a shoe. That was my favorite shot in the film. After this incident, if any actor on my set asks for another take with confidence, I will allow it. I learned this from Ajay.

This film is all about Ajay. This is a story about his journey through character. No one would believe it if I told you that this film is Ajay's first film. He has acted so well.

"This month, 'Dark' is releasing. Next month, 'Karate Babu' is releasing. After that, 'Bloody Politics' is releasing. Please support all the films releasing in the next three months," he said.

Manu Ramesan has composed the music for the film 'Dark', while Ravi Shakthi has handled the cinematography. Kathiresh Alagesan is responsible for the editing, Shanmugaraja is the art director, Knife Naren has provided the fight training, and Sathish has taken up the dance direction. Songs: Yugabharathi, Vivek, Ganesh K. Babu; Sound Design: Arunachalam Sivalingam; Makeup: Mohammed; Costume Design: Gayathri Balasubramanian; Executive Production: Meena Arunesh; Sound Mixing: B. Muthukrishnan; DI: Lixo Pixels; Colorist: G. S. Muthu; Stills: Kumaresan: Production Manager: Balaji Babu S; Co-Director: Sathish Sukumar; Associate Cinematography: Kannadasan Chezhiyan; Associate Editor: Deepan Chandrasekaran; Music Label: Think Music.