Shakespeare’s Macbeth to be adapted in Tamil

Over four years after his debut film Thirumanam Enum Nikkah released, Anis is back with his next. The director is all set to adapt William Shakespeare’s tragedy,

Macbeth

, in Tamil. The film, titled

Pagaivanuku Arulvai

, will star Sathish Ninasam (of Kannada film Lucia fame), Saran Sanjai and debutante Neerasha, who has studied theatre at National School of Drama, in the lead.

Anis says, “I come from a theatre background. Drama is my trajectory, and modern theatre is my base. I’ve done many stage plays and theatre workshops as well. So, I’ve always been attracted to drama literature. After Thirumanam Enum Nikkah, I took a break because I wanted to do something that no one else has done in Tamil films. Since dramas are my favourite, I thought it would be nice to adapt a popular play. And that’s how I stumbled upon this idea — to introduce Shakespeare to Tamil audiences. Macbeth is a dream for many, many filmmakers. It has been adapted into movies, stage dramas, and each artiste has given it a different background. My Macbeth will be set in 2019; today’s political and social scenario is akin to its original setting, and audience can easily connect with his masterpiece.”

Interestingly, the team — Anis, Saran and composer

Ghibran

— will be heading to Switzerland to launch the title logo. “London-based Ananya Rajendra Kumar, a nine-year-old girl who is now a viral sensation thanks to her command over Tamil, will be penning a song for the film because the words should have childlike innocence. She’s hosting a music reality show in Switzerland, where Tamils from several countries will be present. So, we thought it would be apt to launch the title logo there,” adds Anis.