The team behind Arivu, an upcoming Tamil film about women’s rights, found a way to put their social messaging into practice before the cameras even started rolling. While shooting near Munnar, producer Saivinoth Jayakumar discovered that a government school in the Othapparai area lacked basic facilities. He decided to fix it on the spot.
The crew repainted the entire school building, carried out structural repairs, and set up drinking water facilities for the students. The school serves children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and the upgrades addressed gaps in everyday infrastructure that had gone unattended.
Arivu is directed by Sathyasiva, who has a track record of weaving social themes into commercial cinema, and stars Uriyadi and Election fame Vijay Kumar alongside Kayal Anandhi. The film was launched earlier this year with Suriya and Jyotika in attendance, with Suriya describing it as a project “made with real intention and heart.” I.M. Vijayan, Singampuli, and Deepa Shankar feature in supporting roles.
The first schedule wrapped in and around Munnar, with the second currently underway in Theni. D. Imman composes the music, Thil Raju handles cinematography, and Vetri Krishnan is on editing. The team aims to complete shooting before Tamil New Year. Produced by Saivinoth Jayakumar under Movietron Production, with Saiprabhu Jayakumar as co-producer, Arivu is the banner’s debut production.