Get set for a simple love story

Lyricist-turned-director Arasu Anthare’s debut effort — Love in Mandya — hits theatres today. And the film, says the debutant, is as straightforward and simple as the title. “I have not attempted anything extraordinary with this film. It is a very simple, realistic love story, the twist being that the protagonists —characters played by Sathish Ninasam and Sindhu Loknath — fall in love due to certain circumstances, and not after the boy-chases-girl routine.The story has all the right elements for an entertainer,” says Arasu, adding that there is an interesting sub-plot involving two child artists.
The love story apart, one highlight of this film, says the director, are its songs. “There are a few songs that stand out, especially Opkondbutlu Kanla, which composer Anoop Seelin himself has sung, Currentu Hoda Timealli with Bappi Lahiri’s vocals and Ondu Apararoopada Gaana. For Opkondbutlu… we shot in a village without a set or props that we put up. It has a very natural setting. As for Ondu Aparoopada, we wanted to give it a retro feel, in terms of the location, choreography, background dancers, costumes, and the colours with which to capture it. For the visual effects, cinematographer Sugunan wanted filters that were used in films of the 80s, which are no longer in use. He then got in touch with cinematographers from that era and managed to find someone who still had them. The fact that Sathish plays an Ambareesh fan in the film, and that we managed to make this song look like one the Rebel Star could have been in, works wonders for it,” says Arasu.
The filmmaker adds that he has introduced a few new villains in Sandalwood with Love in Mandya, who, interestingly, do not have dialogues. “Who they are and what they mean to the storyline is all shown through visuals,” he says.