The trailer for the upcoming courtroom drama The Verdict, starring Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, was launched at an event in Chennai. Directed by Krishna Shankar and produced by Prakash Mohandas and N. Gopi Krishnan of Agni Entertainment, the film was shot entirely in the USA over a remarkably short span of 23 days. It is scheduled for a theatrical release on May 30th.
Speaking at the launch, actor Suhasini Maniratnam described The Verdict as a film “close to an actor’s heart.” She revealed her attraction to the subject and mentioned that the role was initially envisioned for actor Lakshmi, which prompted her to accept it. “Varalaxmi Sarathkumar delivered a tremendous performance as a lawyer, maintaining authenticity without being influenced by American English, something that takes a lot of effort and preparation,” Suhasini added, also praising director Krishna Shankar for completing the shoot efficiently.
Varalaxmi Sarathkumar acknowledged the challenges of her role, stating, “Since my thinking language is English, it made delivering the dialogues a bit easier for me. However, I had to put in a lot of effort to slow down my speaking pace… Given that this is a courtroom drama, I had to consciously reduce my speed to suit the tone of the film.” She thanked producer Gopi Krishnan and director Krishna Shankar for the opportunity.
Director Krishna Shankar lauded his cast, saying, “Every actor in this film is equal to ten Hollywood actors,” a sentiment he said was echoed by their Hollywood co-stars. He credited producer Gopi Krishnan’s industry goodwill for assembling the cast quickly. Producer Gopi Krishnan, in turn, thanked his US-based support team for making the swift shoot possible and introduced Aditya Ram as the music director, praising his background score.
Actor-filmmaker Parthiepan Radhakrishnan, who was a guest at the event, compared the film’s aesthetic to a Hollywood movie. “Varalaxmi is an incredibly proficient performer, something I witnessed firsthand while working with her in Iravin Nizhal,” he remarked. Actor and producer Prakash Mohandas expressed his gladness at the positive reception for their maiden Tamil production and emphasized the adage, “Content is King,” believing The Verdict would live up to it.
The film also features Sruthi Hariharan, Vidyulekha Raman, and Prakash Mohandas in its cast, with cinematography by Arvind Krishna and editing by Sathish Suriya.